Newt One Shots
by Bloody-Aliice
Summary: Just a bunch of Newt/OC One Shots
1. I Bloody Love You - Jane

**A/N: It picked stuff both from the movie and the books to write this. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Maze Runner, all the rights belong to James Dashner.**

At the sound of the pounding alarm, all the Gladers headed towards the box, watching it come up with the usual supplies and the new Greenie, who'd doubtlessly ask a billion questions in the following hours. Alby shook his head, anticipating the questions, but he'd simply tell him the usual stuff: shut your shuck mouth, follow the rules and stop asking questions. That's it, that's all the green bean needed to know, the rest would follow quickly. Most of the time, what really bothered the Newbies wasn't even the actual Glade and the fact that they were trapped, but their slang which they couldn't understand and confused them at first. Newt jogged to catch up on him, his steps slightly uneven because of his limp.

"You go greet the Newbie," Alby told him before Newt even got the chance to say anything. The blond boy nodded and then ran off to the box, getting there at the same as Gally. Both of them opened the grids. Slowly, all the Gladers gathered around the opened box, hiding the sun an diving the box in the shadow.

"Is he asleep?"

"He's dead!"

"I can't see him!"

The voices around Newt whispered as the boys' curiosity grew. The blond boy jumped into the box, but even that didn't make the Greenie move. He was laying on his face. He's got short light brown hair and was dressed just like the others, a shirt and a hooded sweater, along with brown trousers and worn-out leather boots.

"Turn him around!" Alby ordered and Newt carefully pushed the body with his foot, causing the Newbie to roll around so his face was visible. A concerto of whispers and shocked expressions made the blond boy look up, squinting his eyes when a ray of sun blinded him.

"What's the matter? Why are you all bloody whispering about?" He asked, annoyed.

"The Greenie doesn't look like a boy," Frypan shook his head. Newt knitted his eyebrows together and Fry tried to explain. The boy brought his hands to his chest and faked to squeeze breasts. What the shuck?

Newt glanced down and knelt beside the unconscious body so he wouldn't have the sun in the eyes anymore and suddenly he saw it. The greenbean was a she-bean. She had delicate features and she definitely wasn't flat-chested. In some way, Newt felt uncomfortable when he realized it was a girl. He had that odd feeling that he shouldn't be that surprised, as if he hadn't seen a girl before – even if in a way, it was the case. It didn't make any sense! They've been here for almost a year now and apart from the ten of them who came there together, they've only ever gotten a new Greenie every month – and always a boy!

"What are you waitin' for, slinthead? Bring her out!" Gally groaned, as if he wasn't half surprised a girl just came up in the box – and unconscious. Alby stepped in front of Gally, not taking any of his klunk.

"Take her out, we'll bring her to the Medjacks'," he decided and Newt shook he head. Something was wrong about this. "Get back to work everyone!"

Most of the Gladers turned tail and went back to their work, but some tried to stay and see her more closely, immediately chased by Alby who told them to move their arses and get something done. She was kinda small and Newt was surprised she didn't weigh more, it didn't put him in any pain to carry her out. Her head fell back against his shoulder and he would've sworn he heard her sigh, but Alby told him to hurry up and so he obliged. He stepped out of the box and walked to the Medjacks, Alby and the others already gone to their respective business. Suddenly, Newt felt a grip on his arm which almost made him drop the girl and when he looked at her, he met two big brown eyes staring right at him.

Most of the time, when a new Greenie was sent to the glade, the first questions he would ask were "Where am I?", "Who am I?", "Why am I here?" but instead of falling into an endless rambling of questions which wouldn't been answered, the girl kept her eyes bored into Newt's and asked him one simple question before waiting patiently for his answer.

"Who are you?" Her voice was kind of smoky, as if she'd had a cold or hadn't spoken in a while. It took him a few seconds before answering.

"I'm Newt. Who are _you_?" He then asked, not realizing he was still carrying her.

"Well _Newt, c_ould you please put me down?" Her gaze went from him to his arms and he apologized, letting her go and walk on her two feet. Everybody was busy with their work and nobody had noticed yet that the girl was awake. She scratched the back of her head and frowned, probably realizing she couldn't remember anything.

"My name's Jane, I think..." She seemed to be unsure, but who could blame her? Jane gave a look around her, her eyes traveling from Newt, to the homestead, to the Deadheads, to the other Gladers, to the Glade's hundred meters high walls and the huge opened doors, but she didn't ask any questions. "Well, looks like bloody trouble to me." She then muttered, placing her hands on her hips and frowning slightly. And that's when Newt decided that he liked her.

This day started normally and now,

now they had a bloody girl.

[Almost one year later]

"C'mon! It's not fair!" She groaned but obeyed nonetheless. "You owe me!" She shouted before walking away from Minho and the runners. They just had dinner and as they all sat together, chatting and relaxing after another long day of hard work, Minho and Ben decided it would be a good idea to make a bet with Jane.

"The last one who reaches the woods has to do the others' laundry," Ben said, knowing the girl couldn't refuse a good dare and even if it was losing battle, her ego would make her agree. So they finished eating and did it. And of course, Jane was the last one. She was pretty good at running though, but Minho and Ben were runners, they were just more experienced and had longer legs.

"One year, and you still can't beat us," Minho pointed out. Jane made a face and grabbed their dirty shirts, walking away to the little pond in the woods, groaning and swearing out loud.

The other boys kept eating and laughing around the fire, but Newt's eyes followed the girl's figure until she was out of sight. Someone bumped into his shoulder. Frypan.

"If you like the chick you should tell her," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing. The blond boy didn't answer right away. "Hey don't give me that look, shuck face, everybody here knows it!"

Newt shook his head. "I don't remember asking for your bloody advice Fry," he grumbled. Not even slightly offended, Fry stood up and walked back to the kitchen for another ration.

As they finished eating, most of the Gladers went to their bunk and soon, Newt was sitting alone, leaned against a tree trunk with a goblet of Gally's secret receipt drink in hand. He was ruminating dark thoughts alone after what Fry just told him. He _did_ kind of like her, but who didn't ? She was the only girl here among twenty-three guys, every one of them tried to flirt with her, but she just kept acting like she didn't see anything, like she was one of them. Newt knew she'd had a hard time here at the beginning, and now that she was integrated, she didn't want to screw it up or to be the reason for them to argue or whatever. She'd just act like a boy all the time. He knew it because he was her friend. Bloody hell, he was probably even her best friend! She couldn't be more out of reach for Newt, he was most definitely friend-zoned beyond everything imaginable. He sat there, lost in his own thoughts for so long that she came back before he even moved.

"Here sintheads," she laughed, throwing Ben and Minho's stuff right in their faces. "All cleaned up, now quit being shanks and give me a drink!" She demanded and Chuck who was always happy to please her in any way, brought her one. It was an unusually hot day and the air was still thick. Jane put her hair together and tied them into a bun so it wouldn't stick against her neck.

"Your hair grew pretty fast," Chuck said. It was the first time ever since she arrived that someone said something about her hair, but it only occurred her now. He was right though, when she came up through the box, she had short hair, like all the boys, but in a year, they grew long enough for her to put them in a ponytail if she wanted to. She never even thought about cutting them again, it wasn't really the number one of her priorities.

"Yeah now you almost look like a girl," Minho teased her, earning a punch in the shoulder. Newt smirked when he saw him act like it didn't hurt and then rub his arm.

Having enough of watching her from afar like a creeper, Newt stood up and walked to his room. Being second in command had its perks.

The next few days, Jane became abnormally quiet, but all the boys seemed to think it was the bad period of the month and didn't ask any further questions, but it worried Newt. It was the middle of the day and yet, he couldn't find her. Alby asked him to find Jane because they had a few clothes to repair, and she was the only one who was slightly good at fixing clothes. Though he also wanted to see her just because he missed her.

"Zart, have you seen Jane? I can't find her anywhere!" Newt asked his friend and Zart, her Keeper, just shrugged and went on with his work. Well, that was bloody helpful, Newt thought before walking away. Nor Fry neither Gally have seen her and Newt was growing more and more worried, but he eventually spotted her. She was sitting in the grass, behind the pit.

"Hey, what's up with you?" Newt asked, causing her to jump in surprise. She shot him a glare, trying to look upset but betrayed by her growing smile.

"Newt, you scared me!" She elbowed him as he sat down next to her and he laughed. "Don't you have something else to do?" She asked.

"Want to get rid of me?" He faked to be hurt before becoming serious again. "Is everything alright ? You look... different."

"Yeah, it's all good, I just... I don't know, I guess I have a day off." She stared at the ground as her hands distractedly played with her hair.

"You mean a _week_ off?" Newt raised an eyebrow and Jane sucked in her lower lip, no answering. "C'mon, I know when something's wrong, you can't lie to me," he insisted, trying to get her attention.

"Look, Newt," she started, titling her head towards him. "I don't know what to say! It just hit me that I've been here for a year now, and I might still be here next year and the year after that, and it's all a little depressing, you see ?"

"Why would you have such bloody thoughts?" He asked, making her crack a small smile. She always smiled when he used the word 'bloody'. It was their thing.

"Well, I _bloody_ wish I knew," Jane sighed. Silence settled in for a couple of minutes, before she let her head fall on Newt's shoulder.

"I miss this," she muttered.

"What?" Newt asked, enjoying this short moment of privacy they had.

"Talking with you. We haven't had much time to talk lately. I miss it." Her confession suddenly made him feel really content and he wrapped an arm around her small shoulders.

"Good that," he simply said.

"You know what else bothers me?" Jane asked after a while, sitting straight up and looking him in the eyes. "I don't even know what I look like! It's silly, I know, but it still bugs me."

_You're beautiful,_ Newt wanted to say, but of course, he didn't, and waited for her to continue.

"When I came here, I had short hair, but I can't even tell how I actually looked with it!" She continued.

"Most of us wouldn't want to see our own faces," Newt smirked, trying to make her laugh. It worked.

"You know what I mean," she said, still smiling. "Do you want to know what you look like?" Jane blurted out when Newt didn't answer. He looked away, avoiding her gaze.

"I don't know," he sighed. "I already know I'm the best looking around here, I don't need to know anything else."

"You bloody show off," Jane ruffled his hair. "No but, seriously... I could tell you," she offered him. Newt thought about it for a while. He never really cared about his looks until a girl suddenly came out of the bloody box, and even now, he still wasn't really interested in knowing what he looked like. But he was curious, and he wanted to know how _she_ saw him.

"Go ahead," he finally said. Also, he wanted to see her smile, and he knew it'd make her happy if he agreed.

"Well, for starter, you have blond – slightly reddish – hair. I'm surprised you don't have freckles," she said, looking at him closely, as if she was studying his features. "You have dark brown eyes, and here," she said, her fingertips brushing over his right cheek, right under his eye, "you've got a beauty spot. You're tall – or maybe I'm just short, I don't know. And you're fit. It's usually not visible that you have a limp, but when you're tired or cold then it's more obvious." And so she went on and on, describing every one of his features until there wasn't anything more to say.

"You forgot the most important though," Newt smirked when she shot him a confused look. "Am I hot?" He asked, causing a huge smile to spread across her face. He was just teasing her of course and didn't expect her to actually answer that, but she did.

"You're handsome, Newt."

The blond boy swallowed with difficulty before clearing is throat.

"Do- Do you want to know what you look like?" He asked her, knowing she'd say yes. He didn't even know what he was going to say, because everything about her was pretty. She nodded.

"I guess you already know your hair's light brown, so let's just move to your eyes... they are brown too but when you look closely, there's green in them. You have quite big eyes, and long eyelashes which makes it look like you're absolutely marveled by everything you see," Newt chuckled. "You too have a beauty spot, but it's on your nose, just here," he booped her nose. Jane brought both her hands on her nose with a horrified expression on her face.

"You're bloody kidding right?"

"Yes I am," Newt said, reassuring her and she laughed lightly. "You have dimples when you laugh and it's the cutest thing ever," he then continued. "You do have freckles, but only a few, and you have really pink lips. Your upper lip is a little smaller than the lower one, but it's nicely shaped into a 'v'. And your skin's always pale, even after a year working in the gardens, you have pale skin. And yeah, you _are_ short, but you're a girl so it's cute. Plus, it's not like you lack of anything." He finished, shooting a quick glance at her body and earning a little slap on the shoulder.

"It's weird," Jane eventually uttered, Newt almost didn't hear it.

"What's weird?"

"I don't _feel_ the way you describe me," she tried to explain, frowning her brows.

"I agree, you're not what you look like. You seem to be fragile and delicate, but in reality, you're strong, and you don't need no one to get your shit together," he said. Jane nodded slowly, trying to figure out why she found that nice when obviously she should have been a little offended. "But it's you. It's the way you are."

"Thanks Newt," the girl took his hand in hers and squeezed it. Newt gulped.

"But it's only a subjective description I guess.. I mean, it's just the way I see you."

"Well, isn't it the most important? The way you see me..." If Newt wasn't too busy staring at their laced fingers right now, he would've seen her blush when the words tumbled off her tongue accidentally.

"I have one more question..." She added, causing him to look up. "What suits me the most, long or short hair ?"

That night, Newt struggled to find sleep. The conversation he had with Jane earlier _did_ bother him more than expected. It's only when she started describing him his every feature that he realized she was right – he did wonder what he looked like. And now that he knew, he felt like it wasn't right. Just like she said, he didn't feel like the person she described was _him_. But the way she said it pleased him.

_You're handsome, Newt_.

He knew he wouldn't forget about those words even if those bloody Creators tried to erase his memory again. He really, really liked Jane. And sometimes, it weighed on his shoulders because he couldn't tell her without risking rejection. He should be content with being her closest friend, but he simply couldn't wrap his head around that idea. Almost an entire bloody year, and he didn't find the guts to tell her how he felt towards her. It made him sick to his stomach, and the silence soon became unbearable. Alone in his room, Newt suddenly found himself wishing he was with the others, in the hammocks or the small bunks. Just to hear them snore all night long, really _anything_ that would break the silence of the night. But deep down he knew it wouldn't make anything better, because he wanted to be with Jane.

When he was alone with his thoughts like tonight, he always tended to over think stuff. Most of the time, he couldn't sleep because of nightmares. His dreams always somehow brought him back to the day he had his accident. That's something he kept for himself. Apart from Alby and the Medjacks, Clint and Jeff, nobody knew. Not even Jane, he couldn't bring himself to tell her. He was afraid she'd look at him differently. With pity, with shame, and he couldn't bear being a coward in her eyes, yet he hated keeping that away from her. He wanted to tell her just to get this off his chest, and because she deserved to know. She never directly asked him, it was obvious he had an injury and she wasn't nosy. But he still felt like he owed her an explanation. Then again, just like his feelings for her, Newt hid it from her. Maybe it was time to swallow his pride and just baldly say the truth?

Unable to sleep, Newt stood up, throwing his blanket away and sneaking out of his room, silently making his way downstairs and heading to her room. When he stood there, he hesitated.

It was a shucked idea, but now it would be stupid to turn around and go back to his room for a sleepless night. Newt knocked on the door hoping she was still awake, even if it seemed to be past midnight. Surprisingly, the door opened, and she was standing there, in a large boy t-shirt as a pajamas, looking beyond tired. But what startled him the most was her hair. She cut it short again.

"Can't sleep?" They both asked at the same time. Jane giggled and stepped back to let him in. It was a cold night yet Newt felt feverish when he sat down next to her mattress. She didn't have a real bed, it was just some kind of thin mattress and a blanket, but she did have a room on her own, since she was the only girl.

"Nightmares?" Jane yawed as she snuggled back under the cover. Newt shook his head, looking as though he was staring into the void. "What's on your mind?" She asked further.

Not responding, Newt just sat there sucking in his cheeks and rubbing his arm as though he couldn't form the words.

"Hey," Jane whispered softly, shifting out of her blanket and next to Newt. Suddenly, he felt another hand cover his own and comfortingly rub his arm. The girl curled up against him, wrapping her other arm around him, causing him to smile, but it was a sad smile.

"I keep forgetting how cuddly you can be when you're tired," Newt chuckled, pushing away the moment where he'd tell her what he came to tell.

"I don't like seeing you like this, all worried. Tell me what you're thinking about..." she muttered, her voice muffled by Newt's shirt.

"You," he blurted out. She didn't even flinch and just waited for him to continue. "I want to tell you something... No, I _need_ to tell you." He corrected himself, making her frown a bit. She removed her head from his shoulder, only to dive her eyes in his own.

"Relax Newt! Whatever it is, it can't be that bad. It's just me," she tried to reassure him, immediately getting the seriousness of the situation. But Newt shook his head.

"Yeah, and that's why it's so difficult, because it's you..." he sighed, looking down. Again, Jane laced her fingers with Newt's, she knew it'd calm him down. She was sitting in front of him now, but she couldn't manage to catch his eyes, he would look away, anywhere but at her.

"I really, really need to tell you something, but before that, I have to tell you something else." He couldn't be more vague than that, and he knew she was beyond confused by now, but she didn't rush him and waiting patiently until he was ready to talk.

"You don't know how I got my limp, do you?" He eventually asked, knowing the answer. Jane shook her head instead of answering out loud, in fear to make break the moment. She didn't want Newt to decide that finally, he didn't want to speak about it and hurry out of her room.

"I usually don't talk about it – as if it'd make me forget about it," he snickered bitterly. "I was a runner before, you know? It didn't last very long though... I might have been one of the strongest, the fastest... one of the best... but I simply couldn't support it. This place... the lack of memory... everything." Newt saw her swallow and she softy stroked his hand with her fingertips brushing over it. It helped him calm down before continuing his story. He might not have noticed, but he did raise his voice.

"It's normal, no one should be trapped here. We only make it through the day because we have each other," Jane said reassuringly.

"Believe it or not, it wasn't always like that. We weren't organized in the early days, and everything felt like hell. It was bloody awful! The worst... out of everything was that I knew that out there, I had a family, that they were waiting for me... at least, it thought so. I could see it in my dreams, like shadows watching over me, faceless and nameless. It was torture! One day, I lost it..."

Jane could easily guess what he was about to say, and it broke her heart and made it sink to her stomach. Maybe she didn't want to hear it after all.

"You don't need to continue if you don't want to," she said, but Newt shook his head, determined to get over it.

"No, I- I need to. I want you to know. I was running through the maze as every other day, but I suddenly felt sick. Almost claustrophobic, trapped between those huge walls with no way out. I just couldn't take it anymore. I climbed up those shuck walls and jumped right off!" He finally exclaimed, his voice cracking a bit when he said the last part. Jane had brought her hands over her mouth, looking at him in shock.

"But even that, I couldn't do. I badly hurt myself and Alby found me and dragged me out of the bloody maze. I couldn't walk for weeks, and even today, it's not completely healed, never will. I'm a coward, and that's what I needed you to know, before telling you the other thing."

Before he could even finish his sentence he felt the girl's hand wipe away from his cheek a tear he didn't even know he'd shed. The way she looked at him revolted him. Because he was prepared for pity, for condescension, for disgust, for everything but the tender gaze she laid on him at this exact moment. Something in her eyes touched his soul, and Newt broke in tears in front of her. Immediately, she pulled him in her lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and rocking him back and forth until he calmed down. Newt buried his face into the crook of her neck and breathed in her scent. She was the single most pure thing he'd ever seen, and even now, she wasn't failing him and simply tried her best to make him feel better. Newt never thought talking about this would make him cry. It was almost two years ago. A few months before Jane arrived.

"I'm so happy you're alive, Newt," she sighed in relief when he had calmed down. When she pulled away and looked at him, Newt's eyes were shot with red, but he was smiling.

In a burst of courage or whatever made him do it, Newt pecked the tip of her nose and watched her puzzled face.

"When I'm with you, I'm happy too," he breathed out, watching her closely, as if he expected her to run away. The corner of her mouth curved into a smile, but a sad one, as if what he said caused her pain.

"Good that," Jane simply said, but it was obvious she wanted to say more. Newt couldn't bring himself to ask the question which was burning his lips, so he changed the topic.

"Why'd you cut your hair?" He asked her.

"I asked Minho to cut it for me," the girl said, not answering the question. She shrugged and looked at her hands. "You said you liked it better short."

Newt would have laughed if the mood wasn't so dark. In fact, shuck it! He wanted to laugh, it would make him feel better. Jane's eyes looked at him questioningly.

"I don't even know why I'm telling you this, because you're obviously too good for me, but I'm going to go nuts if I don't say it..." Newt shook his head, still laughing nervously. "I like you Jane."

It took her a couple of minutes to react to that.

"W- why would you think that I'm too good for you?" Well, it wasn't exactly what Newt was hoping her to answer, but it was better than her laughing at him.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm the coward who tried and failed to kill himself and who's now pointlessly walking around the Glade, acting as if 'second in command' was an actual job, just because I can't do shit because of that stupid limp! And you're... you." Newt rambled messily, but his eyes steadily staring at her. She was blushing.

"Yeah, exactly," she said, blinking a few times. "I'm me. I'm the slightly boyish girl who swears all the time and acts like a guy. I'm the awkward girl who can't do shit, and not even because of an injury, just because I'm not capable. I'm the annoying girl everyone's making fun of for being the poor little thing who tries so hard but never succeeds in doing anything," she whispered. "And _you_ think, I'm too good for you? That's ironic," Jane kept going on like that, her eyes bored into the ground as though she wanted to make a hole and disappear in it.

"What are you saying?" Newt frowned, disliking what he heard. "It's been one year I'm trying to gather enough courage to say this, and believe me, I had plenty of time to figure you out," he grabbed her chin and made her look at him. "I know you better than myself, and everything – believe me _everything_ – about you is beautiful. You're a genuine person who speaks her mind and heart. You are selfless and sweet, but not naive or blind, and you know who deserves your kindness, and bloody hell, I still can't believe I'm one of these persons. You're the only thing in this bloody maze that makes me want to live through the day, just because I can't get enough of your silly jokes and your late night hugs when you can't find sleep."

It left her speechless, and before she knew it, tears were spilling up from her eyes.

"No, Jane, don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you, please..." Newt worriedly cupped her face and wiped the few tears away. "I can leave if you pref-" He started but she cut him off.

"No please, stay," she demanded him. "Stay with me."

She didn't need to ask twice for Newt was already wrapped around her finger. He barely saw her cry once or twice before today, and during those moments, she really seemed small. Newt pulled her in a tight embrace and placed her in his lap. As soon as she felt Newt's arms hold her, Jane let her head rest against his chest.

"I love you."

At first, none of them was sure about who said it and who heard it. It felt so distant. But then, Newt's eyes widened. What'd she said? Bloody hell, he must have heard wrong.

"What did you just say?" He asked in disbelief, not trusting his ears. Instead of repeating the words, Jane showed him. Shifting so she was facing him, she placed a kiss on his lips. A soft, chaste one though. Newt's face hurt from the huge smile on it, which was threatening to spread it in two.

"I love you," she said again, smiling as well, as if she'd waited her whole life to say it. "I love you, and I'll keep saying it until you say something," she laughed happily. Newt was marveled and he was frozen on the spot. She opened her mouth to say it again, but Newt captured her lips, shutting her up. It wasn't like the first one, this kiss wasn't chaste, it was eager and passionate because both of them needed to show each other how much it meant. And it meant everything.

"I love you," it was just a whisper in between two kisses. "So bloody much."

Jane was laughing now, her smile not leaving her face as Newt said those words. It was like everything fell back in place and the knot in her stomach was finally gone.

"I really hope this isn't a dream," Newt muttered against her skin as he peppered kisses in her neck. "Because it would kill me."

"I won't ever let that happen," Jane promised. "I'll stick with you." The way she said it made it sound like it was the only thing that mattered to her. She wanted him to be safe and sound, to be happy. "As long as you want me to."

"That would be a long time, you shouldn't make promises like that," Newt warned her playfully and kissed her again.

"I bloody love you."


	2. Not Immune - Eve

It all happened within a few seconds, but in their minds, it lasted hours, actually it could have lasted forever.

It seemed like everything was in slow motion from the moment his name had been called by the rat man. Things shouldn't have turned out like that. At the beginning, they never thought it'd turn out this way, and now…

Now it was too late.

*Flashback*

[A week after her arrival]

_She shook her head when she heard another cat-call followed by a whistle as she carried a spade to the gardens where she had to spend the day to try and be a gardener. She already knew it wasn't her thing when Zart showed her the stack of manure they used as fertilizer this morning. The boys who tried to get her attention obviously went back to their work since she didn't answer. She only arrived one week ago and there were already half of those boys who came and asked her favors, while the other half looked at her with a suspicious glare, as if there was 'trouble' written in all caps on her forehead. _

_"Hey, love," a deep voice called her, causing her head to snap up to meet the eyes of the obviously taller guy. "Don't listen to them, they're all feeling extra-smug now that a girl came out of the bloody the box," Newt laughed, making her smile. He was one of the rare who didn't look at her like she was a trophy to win. She put a special effort in trying to remember their names ever since she arrived – that was one of the few things she had control over._

_"Look," the boy continued when it was clear she wouldn't say anything. "The day's almost over, you can put that spade down, I'll tell Zart you were with me," he suggested, surprising her. She stopped in her motion and thought about it for a second. She didn't want them to think that she was lazy or that she was relaying on them or anything like that. Do your part, Alby told her, and even if she wasn't doing much, she'd do her part._

_"No thanks Newt, I have to finish the day like everyone else," she replied, taking him aback. Even for her, it felt weird to speak because she was silent most of the time, not really knowing what to say, or who to talk to. The blond boy ruffled his hair and scratched his neck nervously, but his face wore a smile. _

_"You remember my name?" He asked, his voice marked with delight. She nodded her head. "Good that," Newt smirked. "What's yours?" He eventually asked her and her eyes widened._

_"You're the first one to ask me my name," she sniggered lightly. "Well, I mean apart from Alby when I first came here. But otherwise, everyone's been calling me Greenie. I don't really like that." She confessed, feeling a little more confident about talking with Newt. He seemed nice. _

_"It'll only last until a new Greenie comes up, don't worry!" The both of them stood there for a while until it became awkward._

_"I- I should probably go, I still have work to do…" she finally said, biting her lip not to laugh at Newt's expression._

_"Yeah, me too," he tried to brush it off. "I guess I'll see you at dinner then, ugh?" He asked, his eyes filled with what seemed to be hope._

_"I can't wait!" This time a genuine smile appeared on her face. Newt returned the smile and spun around before starting to walk away._

_"Newt!" She called him back and he stopped, looking over at her. "My name's Eve."_

[Three months after Eve came through the box]

_"Pfff," Minho hissed in defeat. "It's not like there was a competition anyway," he shrugged along with Ben who was standing next to him, and soon, all of the runners agreed with them. Newt shook his head and sat down, but a smile seemed to be permanently plastered on his face._

_"Don't you try to shrug it off, man!" Frypan shoved him. "Ya get to spend all the shuck time you want with her!"_

_"That's what the Second in command gets to do," one of the gladers whispered to his neighbor but everyone still heard it. _

_"Shut you bloody mouth Jack," the blond boy warned him playfully. "Y'all shut your shuck mouths, this is ridiculous!" Newt rubbed his hands over his face as all of them suddenly began to protest, filling the homestead with their complains. _

_"Everybody shut up!" Alby's voice suddenly shouted, bringing back silence. "We ain't talkin' about a piece of Fry's pancakes, that's our sister there, got it?! Eve is a glader just like any of us, so you sit down on your shuck asses and stop acting like slintheads!" All the boys looked at each other before calmly sitting back down on their places and Alby started talking about the upcoming harvest. Newt took this opportunity to tip toe out of the homestead while everyone was distracted, and just when he was about to go out, Alby winked at him._

_Closing the door behind him and sighing in relief, Newt didn't see the shadow approaching on his left and jumped in surprise when Eve spoke._

_"So… how was it? Agitated wasn't it?" She asked, not hiding her smile when she saw that she took him by surprise. _

_"I guess you can say that," he laughed silently. Her mid-short blond and slightly wavy hair moved along her every nod or head move. "I don't think it was unanimously well greeted, but they'll get used to it."_

_"They will have to," she agreed, a serious expression on her face. The least you could say was that she stood out of the rest of them. Not because she was the only female of the group, but because of her way to be. She was sweet in many different ways, and she looked oddly out of place with her blond hair and her pale skin. The only thing that betrayed her were her eyes – dark and troubled like all of their eyes. A direct view into her soul and all the unanswered questions she had on her mind. Her beautiful brown eyes couldn't help but notice Newt's wince when he took a step forward, drawing on his bad leg. "Let's go get you something to make that better." _

_"Nah, I'm fine," Newt tried to protest. He outstretched his hand and replaced a lock of her hair behind her ear. The gesture was simple yet he felt it oddly comforting, it felt somewhat familiar. Slowly, he leaned it and reached for her lips, but Eve quickly placed her hand in front of her mouth._

_"What was that for?" Newt asked as he backed off a little. _

_"I'm not Alby, I know when you're lying," she shook her head. "And I will get you something for your leg, whether you want me to, or not." The tone of her voice made it clear she wouldn't take 'no' as an answer, so Newt gave in, smiling at her determination. She became a Medjack after trying out all the jobs, and she turned out to be a good one. The best one. And every now and then, when Newt had a particularly long day, she'd notice he was in pain and put ice on his leg, or a balm she made, to make it better. It wasn't much, and Newt wouldn't suddenly heal thanks to that, but it showed that she cared and he couldn't be happier about that. _

_Therefore, he followed her to the nursery and let her take care of him. _

_"The boys think I took advantage of my position to flirt with you, is that right?" He eventually asked her, causing her to laugh. _

_"Of course it is!" Eve shoved him playfully and Newt took the occasion to grab her by the waist and bring her close. Yes, Newt did take every opportunity he had to be with her, and he still does, because ever since she came out of the bloody box, life seemed to be lighter and the future brighter. "Here, is it better?" She asked when she was finished and pulled the leg of his trousers down. _

_"Much, but I think I also hurt my lip, can you have a look at it?" Newt grinned and Eve rolled her eyes at his lame attempt to steal a kiss._

_"I've been used to better catch up phrases than that Newt, I'm disappointed," she crossed her arms on her chest. _

_"I don't want anyone to think that I 'cheated' to be with you," Newt suddenly said, becoming serious again. "Whatever hell this place is, I've never been gladder to be in it than the day you first showed up." His eyes pierced with sincerity. _

_Grabbing him by his shirt, the girl captured his lips for a kiss._

[One year and eight months after Eve's arrival. One day after Thomas arrival.]

_Newt locked the door of their room behind him and let himself fall onto the bed, rubbing his tired face with both his hands. Bad, this was all so bad. Yesterday Thomas, today another Greenie. Another girl. Unconscious and with that stupid note in the hand. "She's the last one, ever." What the hell did it mean? No more Greenie? No more supplies? No more anything? _

_"Repeating it over and over again won't bring a magic solution to this situation," a soft voice interrupted the flow of his thoughts. The blond boy felt a body press against his back and Eve rested her head on his shoulder, her warm breath tickling his neck._

_"Sorry, I didn't realize I said it out loud," Newt apologized. "Did I wake you up?"_

_"No, I was waiting for you. The meeting was longer than we thought…" she yawned but her eyes were still watchful as she laid back down on the bed, before Newt sighed and stood up to take off his shoes and machete. "You can't find a solution for everything Newt," Eve tried to reassure him, but he still shook his head._

_"I can't stand feeling so powerless, it's driving me bloody insane!" He replied, brushing his hand through his hair. He sat down on the bed abruptly and crawled under the cover, his body immediately finding shelter in the familiarity of those sheets and Eve's body. _

_"I'm sorry," she blurted out. _

_"What are you apologizing for?" Newt gave her a startled look. _

_"For not being helpful with all of this. I just don't know what to do, nobody does," she said with a small voice. "Newt, this is bigger than anything we've experienced, you cannot take all of it. It's a burden you don't have to carry."_

_"Yes I do! I do because it's been three bloody years that I'm here, and you've been here for two years! And we still haven't found a way out! I promised you we'd get out of here, and I don't want to break that promise, I- I don't-" Newt was at loss for words and Eve delicately placed her hands around his shoulders and neck, bringing him closer to her and letting his head rest on her chest. "I'm scared," he suddenly confessed._

_"I know. I'm scared too," Eve lulled him with her voice. "Everyone is. Always. Have you seen Thomas? He passed out. And Chuck? Chuck klunkled himself three times already," she tried to relax the atmosphere and she felt Newt chuckle against her skin. _

_"No, not everyone's always scared. Even during your first week here, you didn't fain, or cry, or freak out. That's mostly why half of the boys were suspicious about you, they thought we were with them." Them, the Creators, those who put everyone here and also those who were now playing with their lives. "I don't think I've ever seen you cry." Newt continued. "You've definitely seen me cry once or twice," he then laughed. "We've all had our weak moments," his eyes darkened as he thought about the day he tried to kill himself in the maze, and he looked up to meet her eyes. "But not you."_

_"Ever since the beginning, you've always stuck with me Newt. I've never been alone, or lost, or hopeless, because every time I looked over my shoulder you were standing there," Eve told him softly and she curled up against him, searching for warmth and comfort. "But I am scared. That's a feeling I will never get rid of, as long as I am with you. Because I know that they could take you away from me at any moment." _

_With that last muffled whisper that barely reached Newt's ears, they both eventually fell asleep, falling into a well-deserved unconsciousness. _

*End of flashback*

"Newt," Rat-man said with his list in hand, going on with the next name as if he didn't ruin someone's life.

When his name was called, they were not together. Eve, who was standing on the other side of the room, felt like it took a couple of minutes for her brain to properly process and take in what she just heard. She was about to ask someone if she imagined it, but when she saw all the eyes staring at her in shock, she understood. It was needless to ask, she didn't dream it.

Newt wasn't immune.

The words kept spinning in her head, making her dizzy and nauseous, but her eyes were vigilant, and they searched for Newt's familiar figure among the crowd. When she spotted him, she ran through the thick crowd of boys trying to figure out whether or not, they were on the bloody list.

Thomas who was standing right beside Newt, looked at him in utter shock. First because he grew to like him and felt like a piece of him was being ripped out, when the name of his friend was called, but also because, far from starting his own pity party or staying there in pure shock, Newt's first instinct was to call Eve. He called her a few times until he spotted her running towards him. When they collided, the world around them seemed to have faded away. Eve's tears ran freely on her cheeks.

"I love you," she said over and over again, as if the words would erase the pain of the news they just received. And Newt who didn't know what to say to comfort her simply hugged her tighter and stroked her back with his hands.

"I'm staying with you, no matter what," she blurted out, breaking the silence. They were now alone, in their room, away from any possible eavesdrops or witnesses.

"Of course not, don't be stupid! It would be signing your own death warrant," Newt hissed.

"I don't care, I'm not leaving you behind!" Eve shrieked suddenly, unable to hold in her fright. Her eyes were still prickling from all the crying, but she refused to burst in tears again. There was a time for crying and a time for fighting. "This is all one big, sick, joke…" she scoffed.

"If I have to ask Minho and Thomas to hold you back or tie you myself on that bed for you to stay alive in the end of the day, I will bloody do it!" Newt shouted, the harshness in his voice sounding foreign. But Eve couldn't bring herself to think straight. Newt wasn't immune. He probably had the Flare by now, and she couldn't do anything about it. It was normal for him to be frightened and he had all the rights to be angry. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't yell at you, but, I- I just don't know what to say."

"It's okay, there's nothing to say," she brushed off. "Anyway, it's not the right time for this, we haven't reached that point, we'll see about that when…"

"When I'll be too jacked to continue," Newt finished her sentence.

"That's not what I was going to say…" She tried to reach for him but Newt shrugged her hand away.

"I know." He sighed. "Eve…" he called her in a whisper, as if he was tasting her name on his lips. "I love you."

The girl nodded calmly. She wanted to answer. "I know, I love you too." But she was afraid she'd break in tears if she did so, so she wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him. For once, it wasn't just their usual comforting and playful kiss, it was a real one. It always amazed Newt how passionate she could be when kissing him, as if she wanted to show exactly how much she loved him through that one kiss. They really kissed like there was no tomorrow, because this time, there really was a risk of not getting a tomorrow.

"I truly believe you are the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me, love," Newt muttered before pecking her lips once more. "And I shall never forgive myself if I hurt you, I simply can't risk that."

"What do you m-"

"I'm so sorry, I already asked Thomas to take care of you, I know he'll get you out of here…" he continued.

"Newt…" She tried to cut him off, uselessly.

"I know you'll be mad at me for a couple of days, maybe weeks, but you'll eventually understand that it's for the best. The sooner we'll stop seeing each other, the better it'll be for both of us. You have to be strong and allow me to take my distances, okay? I can't- I just cannot lose you like this… I don't want you to remember me like a crank…"

"You're not a bloody crank, Newt! Listen up, please," Eve insisted but Newt kept avoiding her pleading eyes.

"They managed to take away the one single thing that mattered to me, and that's you. They found a way to separate us! And I can't have that, but we don't have a choice!" Newt's voice was now clearly shaking, and his fingers were trembling when he stretched his hand out to take her hand. "I want to spend my life with you, Eve…" It tore her heart apart to hear those words in such circumstances. "But now that they made it impossible, I need you to have a good memory of me. I want you to keep in mind the awkward Newt who needed two months to make his move and blushed every time Minho made a filthy joke about us being too loud," he laughed, but the heart wasn't in it.

"I'm pregnant," Eve suddenly blurted out before she'd chicken out again. Newt's eyes widened and he stood still for a couple of seconds, letting the information sink in.

"You- You're what? What did you say?" Newt asked unsure of what he just heard. His eyes were crazy and scanned her up and down as if he'd read the answer through her eyes.

"I- Oh shuck it! I said I'm pregnant Newt!" She exclaimed. He was still frozen and speechless and Eve's nervousness was growing. She ran her fingers through her hair and breathed a few times when suddenly, Newt woke up.

"You're pregnant?!" He almost shouted. "What? How? Who? When?" He rambled. "Wait no, I know who, it's obviously mine. It is, right?" He asked after a pause.

"Of course it's yours shuckface!" She was so relieved he wasn't mad at her that she was almost smiling.

"Are you sure? I mean, not about who's the father but- are you sure you're pregnant?"

"Pretty sure yes, it's been two months I haven't… you know..." she tried to explain. Newt understood and nodded thoughtfully.

"Newt, please say something." She pleaded. "I wanted to tell you before but I thought you'd be angry, we never even considered this could happen at all, it's ridiculous!"

"No, no it's not," he shook his head. "Bloody hell, you're pregnant. With my child." He repeated to himself as if to process what's happening. "And I won't even be there to see the birth of our child…" Reality kicked in again. Newt was back to her, but she immediately recognized the familiar sobs and the way his shoulders were shaking.

"Newt, please, look at me," she demanded, but he didn't turn around, so she walked in front of him. Newt was crying and as soon as she stepped in front of him, he pulled her in for an embrace. "I know this is the worst time for getting pregnant, and this doesn't erase the news we got earlier, but I needed to tell you, I couldn't just keep it for myself on the ground that you wouldn't see this child grow because you're ill, I just couldn't… Please, stop crying or I'll cry too, I'm so sorry…" Eve didn't know what else to say.

"I'm not crying because I'm a bloody crank, Eve," He eventually spoke after calming down. "Listen…" he told her. Her head was resting against his chest and she listened closely as he demanded. "You hear that?" His heart was beating so fast and so loud, she was surprised it didn't jump right out of his chest.

"Your heart is beating so fast!"

"It's not because I'm scared, or broken. I'm happy! I know I shouldn't, but I am." He kissed the top of her head and pull away only to meet her started brown eyes which he loved so much. "I don't care about what WICKED has done or will do to me. You're the only thing that matters, you always have, always will. And you just brought me hope when there wasn't any, and that's exactly what I needed. I love you," Newt said, his eyes full of joy and held back tears that threatened to spill over. "I love you, I love you so bloody much it hurts," he sang slowly, strewing kisses all over her face. Eve couldn't believe her ears.

"I love you too, you fool!" She laughed lightly. "And whatever WICKED throws at us, we'll throw it back, we won't give up without fighting, okay? If someone, somewhere has a cure, we'll find it. If there isn't one yet, we'll find it anyway. I will never, ever leave you behind. I'll stick with you 'til the end." She would cry if she hadn't shed all of her tears earlier in the evening. "Promise you'll not give up."

"I will never give up."

"Don't," Minho's threatening voice told to the guards on both sides of the doors, holding his weapon firmly as the little group of survivors quickly sneaked through the corridor. They looked at each other, ready to react, but Janson nodded his head and they stood still, as if nothing had happened.

"You shouldn't do this," the rat-man grumbled, his teeth clenched together in an unappealing grimace. "We've already tried everything! Why do you think we're doing here?!"

"What you're doing here?" Thomas shouted furiously, spinning on his heels to face the man. He was taller than him and the tiredness plus the heavy weigh of all the shit he's been through made he look way older than seventeen years old. His eyes didn't flinch when meeting the expressionless face of Janson. "You've been torturing innocent kids in a desperate attempt to find a cure for _years! _Tearing them away from their families, erasing their memory, manipulating them, that's what you bloody do in here!"

At the mention of Newt's speech mannerism, Eve closed her eyes, trying not to think about it too much. Thomas and her had picked up this habit ever since Newt left, and the pain of his departure was greater than she thought it would be. Every little cell of her being missed him.

*Flashback*

"Where's Newt?" The girl's angry voice asked once again. Eve was standing in the middle of the group of boys, her hand distractedly wandering over her slightly rebounded stomach as she pronounced those words for the third time. Yet none of them answered and they looked down, being suddenly very interested in their shoes.

"Don't make me ask again," she warned them, squeezing her eyes shut as she shook her head in an attempt to stop the catastrophe scenarios from flowing into her mind. "Thomas, tell me." It was one of the rare time she seemed to be older than she was, and it felt almost impossible not to do as she demanded.

"He- he's..." Thomas mumbled, barely meeting her angered eyes. "He left."

She knew it, of course. She knew that Newt had left, but she was trying to shake it off, gripping on that last piece of hope she carried in her. He finally left, and while they were all gone.

"Ah! Great!" She said in a desperate attempt to keep her cool in front of everyone. But her voice came out as a hush, and the rest of the words were stuck in the back of her throat, threatening to come out as a cry. Again, she closed her eyes. _I will not cry in front of them. I can't_. Her watery eyes didn't allow one tear to escape and she stood firmly on her feet. Only her trembling shoulders betrayed her state of mind right now.

"Eve," Thomas started but she gestured him to stop talking and simply walked away. She didn't need to tell them she wanted to be alone. Everyone mourned Newt, everyone knew that she loved him and that Newt loved her too. They knew he was the best of them all and he would've done anything in his power to stay with her and their upcoming child. Newt would have done anything to make Eve happy, and by leaving them, he thought that's what he was doing. Making her happy, or at least, giving her another chance to be happy. Without him, without the Flare. With someone else, maybe ? One day maybe... But right now, she wanted nothing more than Newt's warm and comforting embrace, yet that's exactly what she couldn't have.

When she figured she'd walked far enough not to be heard, Eve let out her whimpers, allowing herself to cry and sob as loud and as long as she needed. The girl leaned against a wall, only to slip down along it and end up curled up in a ball on the floor, in the dust and the little rocks.

"Newt..." she kept repeating as if she was summoning him. "Newt, you're making me break my promise... 'til the end... I said 'til the end..."

*End of flashback*****

Looking over he shoulder, Eve led a sad gaze upon the unconscious boy Jack and Clint carried with difficulty. His blond hair were messier than she'd ever seen and he seemed to have gained age. He looked smaller yet older. The Flare and its adverse effects made him lose weigh she noticed, and the dark circles under his closed eyes and his ripped clothes only added to that impression of degradation. Oh Newt, what did they do to you...

"Where's the laboratory?" Eve asked Janson, interrupting the boys in their cockfight. He glanced over at her and eventually lift his chin and gesture her to go left. The little group was now still and followed the corridor. For five solid minutes they walked in the never-ending white corridor and they began to thing the rat-man had misguided them when finally they aw a door, just as white as the walls surrounding them.

Eve didn't like the walk, it gave her too much time to think. Too much time for her mind to wander and her eyes to peek over her shoulder and catch a glimpse of Newt. He would be so happy if he was awake. Thomas though, who went with Minho in this hell of a hotel to take Newt out of this place, had to knock him out to drag him out of it. Apparently, he was already pretty far gone, but they couldn't just not try anything. In her hopeless attempts to find a last minute solution, Eve got an idea. A crazy, dangerous idea, and not only for her, but she couldn't give up and not try. How would she be able to live with herself if she watched Newt die slowly and painfully without moving a finger?

"Brenda?" Thomas' startled voice broke the silence as he opened the door. He had forced his way ahead of the group so Eve wouldn't be the one entering first – you never knew what could be behind those walls. When her friend frowned his brows and watched the brown haired girl holding a syringe and all dressed in white, Eve put her hand on his shoulder. It seemed to bring him back to earth and he shook his head, probably deciding that questions would be asked later, for now, they had something else to do. The two doctors standing next to her seemed ready to call the guards when suddenly, one of them spotted Newt's body as the boys carried him into the room and placed it on the operation table, sighing in relief when doing so and rubbing their necks.

"You- you brought a Crank in this complex?!" The bearded one squealed. "Are you out of your mind, do you know what could happen if-"

"If what?" Minho cut short his rambling. "If someone caught the Flare? Yes we shuckin' know if you slintheads, that's why we're in this shucked place!" The two white-dressed men frowned in confusion, not understanding half of what Minho just said.

"Security!" The second one yelled but no one reacted.

"I'm afraid the guards won't come, gentlemen," Janson intervened, sighing deeply. "Those persons have made their intentions very clear and they will only leave when they get what they want."

"Which is?" Brenda spoke for the first time, immediately catching Thomas' attention.

"A cure," Eve stated, earning a few puzzled glances. "We're here for a cure, and we won't leave this place until we have one."

"This is too dangerous, Miss," the bearded man shook his head in disapproval and took off his glasses. "I can't accept to practice such an operation."

"I will do it then," Brenda spoke again, only for the second time, but surprising them all.

"You have not the skills nor the experience to do that Brenda..." The second one, the youngest, rubbed his forehead before turning to Eve. "Have you considered the risks involved?" He did not spoke of those risks they kept mentioning but his eyes told her everything she needed to know, for they switched from her eyes to her growing stomach ever since this conversation started. Newt was still on the operation table, with the boys, but Eve and the doctors were in the other room, discussing in the calm.

"I know what I risk doctor," she smiled sadly. "And I know this seems inexcusable and incomprehensible, but I am willing to take the risk. For all I know, the only family I've ever had are those boys, and Newt is part of it. He's the biggest part of it, actually. The fact that I got pregnant in the maze doesn't change that, and the pain of seeing him ill, and hurt, is so great that I can't even begin to imagine how it would be to live in world he's not part of anymore. I know it's selfish and that he'll probably hate me if this puts the baby in danger or worse, but none of your so called risk can make me change my mind, I will do it. Whether is it you or Brenda, I will do it, because I simply cannot do it without him."

They all watched her and remained speechless when silent tears rolled down her cheeks and hit the immaculate floor.

"We all have our weaknesses..." The girl said, shrugged and smiling drearily as they sighed. "It wasn't supposed to end like this, but I guess life decided otherwise..."

"It often does," the young doctor said, showing something near to compassion when he returned the weak smile.

Her last argument seemed to have drained her from all energy. The were sitting there, discussing and debating since one hour, and Eve was tired beyond words. All she wanted to do what to get over this, to do it and see what happens. It was all she had the strength to do now. Her eyes met the door separating her from the boys. She didn't tell everything to Thomas and Minho, she knew they wouldn't have agreed with all of this if she had told them.

"Alright, let's see if you're right..." The bearded man eventually spoke up. "Maybe the solution was there after all."

"This idea sickens me," Brenda said, "But I understand, and I will help."

"Remember we've already tried transfusing the blood of an immune into a person who caught the Flare, it didn't work." The other one insisted once again.

"It's not what I'm asking you to do." Eve raised her voice, tried of repeating herself. "Just see it as a vaccine. Just like the serum you gave us in he maze, to survive to the Griever's sting."

"You want us to collect the blood of your unborn child to inject it to this boy, on the only ground that he won't reject it because it has his own DNA? Fine, we'll do it if you think it's the only way. But we can only guarantee you one thing."

"And that would be?"

"You will survive the operation. Whether it works or not, whether it kills your baby or not, you will still be alive, and you will have to live with that. Still up for it?"

Swallowing with difficulty, Eve nodded.

It was too late to turn back.

Eve was too desperate not to give it a go.

And now every minute counted.

"Don't you think I thought about it? Do you really think I went in there and didn't expect that?" Eve repeated Thomas, upset and tired and also sad. It should have been impossible to live through such a pain, such an inhumanly sorrowful state, and survive it. Eve was eighteen and she had known Newt for two years – the two only years she can remember. She was so deeply in love that she felt her world crumble down to her feet when his name was called by Janson, telling them that he wasn't immune, that he was bound to die. Eve would have done anything in her power to keep him alive, she was no limit when it came to Newt. Her was her everything, and that's exactly what she was disposed to sacrifice for him – everything.

But when she had to put something more in the balance, it became difficult. It was also Newt's baby, she couldn't decide alone to risk the life of their child, yet what else could she do? Newt wasn't really able to share his opinion at the moment, and if she didn't give it a try, he would never get the chance to give it ever again.

That thought was unbearable, Eve felt her heart fall to pieces and sink into her stomach, leaving an empty hole in her chest.

"I'm sorry," Thomas said in a hushed voice. Eve knew he wasn't apologizing for what he said, she could read it in his eyes. She nodded, accepting his apologies. "Just- don't do that please, don't shut yourself talk to me!" He pleaded her, kneeling down beside the girl.

"What do you want me to say? It hurts. It hurts so much, so deeply. There are no words, only pain," tears came up but she swallowed them back and looked up. "Let's see if it works," a somewhat hopeful smile appeared on her face as she took Thomas' hand. Her other hand immediately rested on her stomach as she stood up.

"I should feel horrible Thomas," she blurted out. "Why don't I feel guilty for what I did?"

He was taken aback by her question but Thomas quickly recomposed himself before answer softly.

"You did what you thought was right. You might just have found the cure for everything you know?"

"No, not everything..." Her grip on her stomach tightened. "If it works-"

"It will." Thomas stated. "It has to."

"Do you think he'll understand?" Eve asked unsure.

Thomas couldn't bring himself to lie to her when she led such a dreary gaze on him, her eyes almost pleading him.

"I don't know."

From now on, they couldn't do much but watch and see what happens, for the doctors said it would be better not to rush things. All the gladers were taken in charge and Brenda mended their injuries while the two doctors and Eve took the sample of blood they needed to make the cure. The _cure_. The last time they actually considered finding it was ages ago, and even then, they weren't as hopeful as today. No one had considered such a monstrous thing Eve suggested them, and if someone actually came up with that idea, they wouldn't have been allowed to practice it on a living breathing subject. Yet today, a young pregnant woman showed up with a fierce determination and desperate enough to try this.

Well, they did it. After making sure she wasn't going to back off at the last minute, they agreed and they operated her.

It wasn't nice to see, it wasn't nice to do, but they did it, and for the first time in ages, they felt like the solution was at arm length. The bearded man held a syringe in his hand with a transparent and slightly reddish liquid in it, look at it as if it was liquid gold.

But it was more than that, it was the future. It was absolution.

If it worked, that is.

The blond girl was tough, they had to give her that, for she didn't flinch, nor hesitate for a second when they gave her the sedative and began the operation. The two men in white believe the boys on the other side of the door didn't know what she was about to do, but it was most likely for the best. She was smart and determined, she wanted to _live_. And so she did, she woke up after the operation, and the next day, they were all standing behind a glass, watching Newt laying on the operation table on which she was laying a few hours before. The two men were dressed in white suit, covering them from head to toes not to be contaminated.

"You sure this is going to work?" One of the boys asked to no one in particular.

"Shut your shuck mouth!" Minho ordered him, slapping his head and gesturing to the girl, in front of the small group, her eyes never leaving the window, even though nothing was happening yet.

"No," she said with a small voice. "But we'll see."

What hurt the most was her toneless voice. As if the only way she could keep her composure was to shut her emotions down completely. Thomas wanted to give her a reassuring hug, or at least, a smile, but she was so focused on Newt that he couldn't bring himself to do it. Everyone saw it, but no one apart from him commented on it, yet she shouldn't keep this to herself, she needed to let it out.

"Eve-" Thomas eventually spoke up, but the voice of the youngest doctor interrupted him.

"Injecting of serum on subject A5, time: 11:24, vital functions: stable." Brenda scribbled down everything he said on a piece of paper in the other corner of the room. She was the only one not wearing a suit, for she was immune.

Suddenly Thomas felt the grip of a small hand on his arm. Eve bit her lip when they stung Newt's arm and injected the serum. It felt like it took forever for the liquid to enter his body, and her nails began to dig into Thomas' skin, but he didn't remove her hand. Instead, he placed his other hand above her, offering her support.

An abrupt movement made the doctor step back, the youngest almost tripped on his feet and caught himself by grabbing the edge of the window.

"What's happening?!" Minho shouted, approaching the window. Nobody answered, because nobody knew.

Suddenly, Newt moved. But not the kind of movement that would be good news. His body began to shake, trembling like an earthquake was happening inside of him. The bed on which he was tied up – they said it was for his security but Eve knew that were afraid of him – shifted slightly with every fit of convulsions.

"Subject A5 reacts to the serum!" The bearded man exclaimed, glaring at Brenda, who looked worriedly at Newt. He almost jumped back when the blond boy's eyes opened, only to be full white, completely repulsed in his head, while his limps still tried to free themselves from the ties. In the rush, the doctors quickly tightened them around his wrists and ankles before stepping back again.

"Tell us what the shuck is happening!" Minho hit the window, his head red from anger.

"Minho," Thomas tried to reason him, but the Asian boy didn't seem to hear him at all.

"Will you please tell us what this means?" Thomas then turned to the doctor who could clearly hear them all through that window.

They glanced at each other, as if they were hoping the other one had the answer to that question, but they looked just as lost as them all. Brenda was the one the break the awkward silence who settle in the room only filled with the scratching noises of the bed shifting on the floor.

"It looks like-" She began but Thomas finished for her.

"-the Changing."

Days. It lasted for days.

And then in became a week. A week and a half.

Eve stopped counting the days and shut herself completely. She didn't want anyone's compassion, she didn't want anyone's pity. She wanted Newt. But Newt was convulsing and crying out long, ear-piecing and heart wrenching screams. Thick veins appeared on his arms and chest and face and you could see the blood pulse in them. They were dark red, almost black and it seemed to cause him immense pain, as though the very beat of his own heart was torture to him.

As tough as she was Eve broke down, and the boys had to take her away from the little room in which Newt stayed. They had to nourish him through intravenous injection but he kept getting rid of them, and Eve put them back every time. She tried to protest, but she was in an advanced state of weakness and when Minho and Thomas came to take her to a room so she could rest, she didn't struggle much.

As hard as it was to admit, she was giving up. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she was killing Newt. Maybe she made everything worse for everyone, 'cause it wasn't only difficult for her. Eve knew how much the boys loved Newt and by putting him in pain, she caused them pain too.

But now, here they were.

They called it "the paradise". The only piece of the earth that was flourishing and prosperous. Everything seemed so… normal, yet none of them never remember seeing the earth like this. All they could remember was the maze, the scorch earth, the Cranks, the collapsed buildings, yet, the green comfy grass on which they were sitting felt more familiar than any of this.

To everyone but Eve. Eve didn't notice any changes. She was still mourning Newt, Newt who wasn't allowed to go with them in the berg and come to this sacred place. Disease free and crank free.

Thomas saw her hollow eyes, Minho was there to tell the boys to back off when she wanted to be alone or when someone asked her why she didn't speak.

The only change she actually noticed was that she wasn't the only girl anymore. Brenda had joined them, and Thomas seemed to be happy with her. Every now and then, this thought brought a smile to her lips, but it faded all too soon.

At first they kept her busy, and she was thankful for that, she truly was. They allowed her to help them built the shelters and she also gave a helpful hand in the gardens where they immediately started sowing the fresh returned land. That lasted until they found out she wasn't sleeping at all, she worked all night and barely ate anything. One week after their arrival, they had to force her to rest and eat something. She was now isolating herself, not even speaking anymore, only to Thomas and Minho. Sometimes Brenda. The sound of her own voice was foreign to her ears, and her hands kept stroking her stomach. She thought about him all the time, and when she slept, she dreamed about him.

Newt. Newt.

Newt.

"Eve." Her eyes fluttered open. "Eve, it's me."

She closed her eyes again and shook her head, burying her face in the blanket she was wrapped in. She had walked to the top of a hill and sat there, watching the sun rise up and down from dawn to twilight, wrapped in a blanket. Crying, laughing, sighing, crying again, and finally falling asleep. But the voice which ripped her out of her thoughts wasn't welcome. It hurt.

"Eve, it's Newt." The voice spoke again.

"No, no, leave me alone. It's just a dream," she whimpered. She as haunted by her own fantasies. Her hopeless desire to see Newt walk in the clearing down the small hill and take her in his arms. Far from listening, the figure knelt down beside her and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her into looking at him. The girl's tired eyes met brown familiar eyes.

"Don't. Don't do that. Don't look at me like that, it hurts too much…" She pleaded, a silent tears rolling down her pale cheek. He gave her a soft smile and cupped her face into one of his callous hands.

"Eve, look at me. I'm here. I'm here it's not a dream!" He tried to convince her, but the girl remained stubbornly deaf, and shook her head as though it would make him go away. Suddenly, she felt his hand move to her neck and he kissed her. It was a harsh kiss, not meant to be soft. He wanted to prove her he was there. He wasn't a ghost or whatever she thought he was. Her face was wet from tears and when he pulled back, Newt wiped them away with his thumbs.

"Don't cry please, I'm here, I'm here and I'm not leaving…" He lulled her, bringing her in his lap. She looked so small wrapped in her blanket like a little girl.

"You can't be real. I killed you, you're dead, I didn't find the cure, I killed you," she rambled in disbelief even though he was touching her for the last ten minutes, rocking her back and forth. "It's my fault."

"It's not true, I'm not dead, love," he sighed sadly. "What can I do to prove it?"

For the first time, she stopped sobbing silently and looked up, stilling immediately.

"I- I don't know."

"They brought me here with a berg. They said I became immune. How do you become immune?" He asked, searching for answers. He frowned his brows when he saw her eyes darken. "What? Do you know what happened? The boy wouldn't tell me." Eve opened her mouth to say something but he continued. "No, don't answer that, I don't care. How are you? Are you okay? How's the baby?" His face lit up, looking at her as if she was the dearest treasure he possessed, but her face shut down.

"I- I…" The words were stuck in her throat. The simple thought of lying to him made her sick to her stomach, but she knew what was to happen if she did, so she avoided the question. "I can't believe it worked. I can't believe you're alive, I'm so happy," tears were threatening to spill over again, but she managed to swallow them back. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, Newt. I had to do it."

Newt was trying to catch her gaze but her eyes looked everywhere but at him.

"D-do what?" He asked carefully, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"There's no baby anymore."

And with that she stood up, letting the blanket fall to the ground, showing off her flat stomach on which she held a firm grip.

The following minute stretched to no end and Eve was ready to shake him to get a reaction because his silence was unbearable. His eyes were scanning her, trying to search for an explanation, hoping she would crack a smile and say it was just a bad joke, but her flattened stomach which was slightly rebounded in Newt's memory proved that she told the truth. She lifted up her shirt for him, showing him the huge vertical scar across her stomach. There was no baby anymore. Before he knew it, his hand reached for her stomach, covering her small hand with his.

"No," he whispered. His eyes quickly became watery as she laid a sorry gaze upon him. "No, Eve, no, tell me it's a joke."

Her lips quivering, Eve didn't speak a word, too scared she'd burst in tears. She held in an agonizing scream, she wanted to cry out and let her pain flow out of her. She'd been holding it in ever since they discovered Newt wasn't immune, and now that he was here, very alive and not ill anymore, she had the feeling she'd lost him. Again.

"Eve, what happened?" He wanted to engulf her in a hug so badly, yet he stood still before her, unable to decide whether or not he wanted to know what happened.

"I'm so sorry," she repeated. "I have to do something, I had to make a choice, I'm sorry!" Eve kept apologizing, confusing Newt even more. "I'd understand if you hated me, but I couldn't let you die…"

"Eve, Eve!" He called her, making her stop in her rambling. He wrapped his arms around her to calm her down, and she allowed herself to rest her head on his shoulder, very aware that it could be the last time. "Tell me exactly what happened. I need to know everything."

And that's what she did, she told him everything. She told him about her theory about giving him immune blood with his own DNA. She told him they broke into WICKED's complex and forced them to help them. She told him that she knew the risks but thought it was worth a try. She told him that he shouldn't be mad at his friends because they didn't know she'd lose the baby. And she told him that she chose him, because she couldn't keep going without him.

"I know I'm a monster, I know you probably hate me right now, and believe me, I hate me too, but I don't regret what I did. It took so much of me to make this decision, but it was the best thing to do. It was selfish, but it wasn't a bad decision."

"Don't." Newt said, looking up and rubbing his face with both his hands.

"You told me that I gave you hope when you needed it, and I can't tell you how sorry I am for taking that away from you. But don't think a second that it was easy for me. I loved this child just like I love you! I was eight weeks pregnant, my tummy barely showed up and you were dying, I did what I judged the best for both of us."

"You- what you did is… I can't I'm sorry." He turned on his heels, he couldn't even look at her anymore. "I- I'll see you later." Tears eventually spilled over and they were flowing freely now. Eve hated herself right now. No matter how much Newt dreaded her, she knew it was impossible for him to hate her more than she hated herself.

"You can me mad Newt," she said as he walked away, his limp making it difficult for him to o downhill. "But just know I'm happy you're alive. God, I'm beyond happy, it feels like the air was drawn from my lungs since you left and I can breathe again! Hate me all you want but I'll always love you."

With that, Newt disappeared from her sight.

"It's been ten days," Minho said, earning a deadly glare from the blond boy.

"I know how long I've been here, thanks shuckface," Newt rolled his eyes, but the heart wasn't in it.

"Shut up! You know what I mean! Go talk to her!" His friend pushed him to do so since days.

"You know she's letting herself die, right?" Thomas stated accusingly. "She can't eat anything, she sacrificed everything she had for you, all she wanted was you to survive." He had been holding this in since he came down that hill, firmly decided to leave Eve behind, for what she did was unforgivable. "She is a wreck, literally! And she thinks that now that you're fine, she accomplished what she had to do. Do you know what this means?"

"Should I?" Newt raised an eyebrow. "Aahh!"

Minho hit his head.

"It means that if you don't swallow back your shuckin' pride and stop your little pity party, all of what she'd done was useless! Can you imagine that? She's the one who had to willingly decide to put your baby in danger and be operated to save your ass! I see her rub her stomach all the time, we all do! But she thought you were worth the pain and the disappointment. She thought you loved her enough to forgive her eventually and stick with her. Mourn with her!"

The blond boy brought his lips in a thin line, not saying a word. Giving up, Thomas and Minho stood up, leaving Newt on his own.

When they left, Newt let out a deep sigh. He was having the hardest time ever trying to keep his hands off of her, avoiding her like plague. But he was confused as to why she did that. He somehow felt like, maybe, she simply didn't want to have a child. Of course, they were young – so damn young and clueless – but they loved each other. Right? He loved her, and he wanted nothing more than take her in his arms and comfort her and tell her everything was okay. Yet he couldn't because the truth is, he didn't know if everything was going to be okay, no matter how much he hoped so. She looked so fragile that he was afraid to break her in two. Rubbing his eyes with his fingers, Newt groaned in frustration. What was he supposed to do? He knew he couldn't keep avoiding her, he saw it too that she was bad, she was having a really bad time and it was mainly his fault. He had to grow some balls and face her, but he was scared. Scared of what she'd say, scared of the truth.

"Enough," Thomas suddenly said, making him jump on his seat. "You go see her. Now." He had crossed his arms on his chest, not giving him a choice. Newt nodded, thankful that his friend just gave him an excuse to pick up his ass and go talk to her.

"Where is she?"

"In her room. And you better be nice!" It made him flinch a little.

"I won't ever hurt her intentionally." Newt said, walking away.

On the way to the new 'homestead', Newt 's heart began to race unevenly. It felt like the first time he told her he loved her, almost feeling like throwing up because of his nervousness. He knocked on her door, waiting for an answer, but he didn't hear anything. He still opened the door, peeking through door ajar and seeing her curled up at the end of her bed, hidden in the shadow like a scared animal.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked softly. He expected her to yell at him and throw him something, chasing him away. But she agreed, slowly nodding her head and offering him a little smile. He felt like he didn't deserve it.

He sat down on the bed, the mattress bending under his weight but for a while, he didn't say anything and kept staring at her. Her skin wasn't as light as before and her eyes seemed hollow when she didn't look at him. The felt guilty making her feel this way, her happiness shouldn't depend on him.

"I hate what you did," he started, watching her smile fade away as quickly as it appeared. "Don't apologize." He said before she got the chance to say she's worry again. "I don't hate _you_ though."

The delight in her expression was worth all of the apologies.

"I love you," she muttered in a whisper. Opening his arms, Newt gestured her to come closer and she crawled in his lap, finding comfort in those arms she was craving to feel around her waist. The boy never wanted to let go of her, he needed to know she'd be safe, but before he could do that, he had to talk to her. "I will never hate you Eve, I love you." He kissed her neck tenderly before strewing a path of light kisses along her jaw and ending up on her lips, capturing them.

"I couldn't imagine my life without you, I'm sorry. I killed our child, I will never forgive myself," she muttered, her voice muffled by the kiss Newt gave her to shut her up.

"I forgive you. I know you were cornered and you did what you thought was best. I forgive you and I'm asking you to forgive me."

She was startled by that answer and Newt explained himself.

"I've been ignoring you when you needed me the most. Look at you! How could I do that? Especially to you!"

"You needed time, just like I needed time. The only difference is that I was given some alone time to think it through and you didn't," she said softly and the boy felt her smile against his neck. "I love you."

"And I love you so much more than you think," Newt replied after pulling away. It caused a smile to thread across her face, lighting it up. He always had such an effect on her. It was toxic. "I love you, Eve. And we'll get over this together. No matter what life throws at us, we'll throw it back, remember?" He quoted her, earning a peck on the lips and shiny eyes to lay a soft gaze upon him. God, what did he do to deserve this girl?

"Thank you," she whispered, more for herself than for him. "Newt, thank you for never giving up."


	3. Back Into The Maze - Scarlett

They always told her that all of them have gone through the same. They woke up in a box, surrounded by food and other supplies, and the box went up, like an elevator, it lasted hours before they finally reached their destination. When they arrived, there were a bunch of teenage boys leaned over the box, peeking a look at them, as if they were curious creatures, and then, they were brought out, in the Glade. And suddenly, they had to take in a lot of information at the same time while simultaneously wanting to ask a hundred questions, staring with: Why can't I remember anything? The Homestead, the Deadheads, the Pit, the Glade, the Maze, shuck, shank, slinthead, slim it, good that, klunk, jacked, Greenie, Newbie, and so on, and no questions allowed.

Then there came the traditional tour, and the rules. Yeah, Alby's beloved rules.

Do your part.

Do not harm another glader.

Don't ever go beyond the walls.

Then again, it was a lot of information at once, but is wasn't like they had much things in mind, for the Creators took care of erasing their memory. All of it, except their name.

"It's the one thing they let us keep," Alby told her when she first arrived. He also said that her name would resurface in her memory in a day of two. So she nodded and kept her questions for herself. Most of the boys gave her weird looks. Half of them were shamelessly eye-eating her as if she was a piece of fresh meat, and the other half looked at her the way you look at a bug. She meant trouble, that's for sure. The first girl to arrive in over a year? Why now? Why her? Just a couple more questions to add to the endless list.

"Newt!" Alby shouted to a blond boy, who titled his head up at the call. "Can you come for a second?" He then turned back to the girl. "We never do that usually, but given that you're a girl and the way some guys here look at you, we'll let you have a room. You better lock it when you're sleeping," he advised her, the corner of his mouth slightly turning up. It was the first time ever since she arrived a few hours ago that Alby's expression seemed to actually soften and she didn't know if he was joking or if he found the situation amusing, but anyway, she'd lock herself tonight. The blond boy – Newt – finally arrived.

"Newt, I was gonna ask Chuck to do that, but since we have some complications, you're in charge of the Newbie," the tanned boy decided and Newt furrowed his brows. "I have to talk to Minho, you can have your day off, and you'll be showing her around tomorrow. " The girl – it was strange for her to think about herself in the third person just because she couldn't remember her name – shook her head in annoyance. How rude! Speaking about her as though she wasn't there. Before walking away, Alby turned around and mouthed something to Newt, which looked like "keep an eye on her".

"Alright, my name's Newt, what's yours?" The boy asked in a friendly tone. He didn't mean no harm, but the girl answered coldly.

"I don't know." Maybe it was a little too harsh, he didn't do anything wrong after all, but now it was too late. "Sorry, but it's so frustrating!" She then added, no wanting to upset him because he seemed nice and he was one of the rare ones who didn't look at her like she was some kind of dessert.

"I understand, you'll remember your name soon, don't worry," he smiled, breaking the tensed atmosphere. "I guess you have numerous questions, so let's start with that love," he suggested before gesturing her to go to the shelters. As they began to walk, the girl asked her questions, causing Newt to smile at her rambling, but more important than getting answers, she just felt the need to talk after spending the day being silent.

"Is anyone bothering you?" Chuck asked at the same time Newt sat down next to her. She was sitting on a tree trunk and Newt sprawled on the ground, leaned against the trunk, with his plate of mashed potatoes in hand. Four days passed since she came up and the only persons she talked to were Newt, Chuck, Alby and Frypan – mostly because she couldn't avoid speaking to the last two.

"Someone upset my girl?" Newt asked playfully as he stole a carrot from her plate. She tapped his hand away and shook her head.

"No, I'm fine," she said, emphasizing the 'fine' and giving the big eyes to Chuck. But the young boy was focused on his food and didn't see it.

"A glader tried to sneak in her room last night," he said distractedly, not noticing Newt's body tense up. "We don't know who it was." Chuck added before stuffing his mouth with food, making it impossible to speak.

"He didn't manage to get in though," she quickly informed Newt was giving her the 'why didn't you tell me' look. She thought she was a weigh for him at first, when Alby assigned him to her, but even now, he still followed her around to make sure she was okay or to ask how her day was. He stuck with her and it was nice to know that he was there, but she wasn't going to bother him with small things like that. "I swear I'm fine Newt," she repeated when he was about to protest. "If it keeps happening, I'll tell Alby."

"Good that," he eventually gave in, seeing that she wasn't going to let him hunt down the shank who bothered the only Lady around here. Chuck told them in details how his day went, making a point to tell them about Adam, another glader – a builder according to him – who got yelled at by Gally for a solid half hour because he caught him engraving his name in every piece of wood he could find. It wasn't very interesting overall, but Chuck was so enthusiastic about it that nor Newt neither the She-bean thought about interrupting him. But it was getting late and Chuck yawned a few times, until they told him to go sleep. Most of the gladers were slowly leaving the bonfire, and walked back to their hammocks or bunks.

"Aren't you tired?" The girl asked Newt before grabbing his drink and taking a sip. She was trying to get used to Gally's decoction, but it tasted bloody awful. Newt laughed when she made a face and handed him his drink back.

"You'll get used to it!" He assured her. "And to answer the question: no I'm not tired. I get to sleep in a real bed every night, not like those shuck faces," he said, gesturing to the dorm, where most of them slept.

"So you have a room too? How come?" She asked out of curiosity and also because she didn't want to let the conversation die. When she was alone with Newt, it was one of the rare moments she felt free to speak her mind.

"Being Second in Command has its perks I guess…" Newt said evasively, his eyes becoming darker all of a sudden. "And also because of my leg." She could hear by the tone of his voice that he didn't want to talk about it, but she couldn't help herself.

"Yeah, your limp…" she muttered. "How'd you get that?"

Maybe it was too soon to ask that question, she thought right after asking it. It seemed like a veil fell in front of Newt's eyes, but he quickly recomposed himself and shook his head, as if nothing happened.

"You know what? I'll tell you another time. It'll ruin the mood!" He tried to smile but his weak attempt didn't fool her. "Do you- do you remember it now?" He eventually asked, shyly.

Now it was her turn to look away and shake her head.

"No. I can't remember." She had been trying so hard to remember her name, but nothing came. Absolutely nothing. She honestly would have killed to have a mirror, just to take a look at herself, try to revive a memory, whatever! But the only thing she could remember was her scar. When she took a shower last night, when washing her back, she felt something tickle. Her fingers touched a sensible skin on her back and followed the outline of it. A long and probably quite deep scar was marking her back, from her left shoulder to the small of her back, and when her fingers brushed over the injury, a flash of memory washed over her. A vivid feeling of pain, sadness and betrayal. As if someone dear to her heart did this to her.

When she looked at Newt, staring at her with those big eyes full of kindness, she wanted to tell him. After looking around to check if anyone could see them, she sat down on the ground in front of him and yanked off her shirt.

"Wow what are you doing?" The blond boy exclaimed, taken aback by the sudden turn of the events. But she didn't answer and simply turned around to show him her back. "What…?" Newt didn't finish his sentence, but the girl could feel his eyes on her. A couple of minutes later, he allowed himself to touch the thick line crossing her back, his fingertips feeling fresh against her back, especially in the hot air of the evening.

"I remember this, that's all." She told him as she grabbed her tank top and put it back on. When her eyes met his gaze, she saw how confused he was. Newt was scanning her as though it could help him understand. "A scar. All I get to remember from my former life is a huge, ugly scar on my back and the unpleasant feeling of someone I love doing this to me. No name." She snickered bitterly before running her fingers through her hair impatiently. Right now, all she wanted to do was to scream at the top of her lungs.

"A scar. Scarred. Scar! Yeah, that's it!" Newt mumbled before shouting victory. She looked at him with a puzzled face.

"What are you talking about?" She raised an eyebrow.

"You can't remember your name, so you'll have to choose one!" He said as if it was the most obvious thing. "Scar. Scarlett. What do you think?" He suggested her just when she was about to ask him what the hell it had to do with her scar. Her eyebrows knitted together in concentration as she thought about it. He was right about one thing, she couldn't just keep not having a name, though it helped being the only girl among thirty or so boys, but it was getting on her nerves. Plus, if her wounded back was all they allowed her to keep from her past life, it had to mean something. It was part of her after all, right?

"Sounds good to me," she shrugged, but a little smile crept on her face. Newt gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"C'mon, don't act so jaded, I know you like it, _Scarlett_," he teased her and she gave it, smiling bigger than she ever did those last four days.

[A year later]

"Minho!" Scarlett called her co-runner, jogging to the homestead. "Minho, have you seen Newt? I've been looking for him for an hour now! The Glade isn't that big, I should've find him by now!" A crease of worry crossed her forehead as she frowned her eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

The Asian boy, who was sitting on a bench with a bunch of other gladers, resting after a long day of running through the maze. Scarlett caught the swift glare he gave to Jeff and she put her hands on her hips.

"Minho, tell me." She stated, determinate to get a proper answer. Through the last year, the boys had learned not to get on her nerves when she used her mother-grizzly voice. She could be the sweetest girl ever, but when it was about Newt, everybody better not upset her. The two of them had a passive-possessive relationship, and no one even thought about getting in between them. Ever since the year, she hadn't shown any interest in any of the boys who were whistling her, but when Newt talked to her, her face lit up and her expression softened. The hell if they were aware of each other's feelings! But it amused Minho, more than anyone, and if he felt like hiding something from her – something that concerned Newt – than it must be serious.

"Don't worry, he should be there soon," he said evasively, barely meeting her worried gaze. Taking of sip of Gally's awful cocktail, Minho turned to face his friends again, but Scarlett wasn't going to let got hat easily.

"I'm not taking any of your klunk, Minho!" She argued, slamming her hand on his shoulder and making him turn around. Her eyes locked with his and he seemed to jump slightly on his seat. Never get onto Mother grizzly's nerves. "Where is he?"

"Scarlett!" A familiar voice called her name and she let go of Minho, who sighed in relief. A lanky blond boy was making his way towards her, a crooked smile plastered onto his face. Alby was following his steps, but he wasn't smiling at all. Yesterday, she had a banishment. Alby always seemed to be in a dark mood after a banishing, even though most of them simply acted like nothing never happened – it was just easier to cope with this situation that way. Newt limped over to her, his ankle seeming to bother him more than usually.

"Why y'all looking at me?" Newt asked when he reached the table, everyone still looking at him in awe, their eyes switching from Scarlett to him.

"He's here," Minho said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Thanks for the breaking news, dude," she rolled her eyes and titled her head back towards Newt. "I've been looking for you, where have you been?" Scarlett wanted to sound upset but she was glad to see him. The question seemed to make him uncomfortable though.

"I'm bloody starvin', let's get something to eat, yeah?" He suggested, scratching the back of his neck and looking away from her. She forced herself to shut her mouth when she was about to make an out-burst, because obviously Newt wanted to talk to her privately, so she nodded and followed him to the kitchen when he walked away.

"Hey!" She called him but Newt maintained his quick pace steady and she had to run to catch up on him and stood before him, a hand on his chest to make him stop. "Newt, what's the matter? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, never been better," he spitted out, immediately regretting it when meeting her worried gaze. He never shouted at her or was mean with her. "Sorry, it's been a klunk of a day…." He sighed, rubbing his face with both his hands. "It's Ben, he-"

"He's alive?!" She cut him off, her eyes growing wide at the thought of someone surviving the night in the maze. Newt's expression turned soft but something about his smile felt wrong.

"No, love, no one survives to the maze, ya know that bloody well…." He shook his head in defeat. "Alby wanted to retrace Ben's footsteps o see where it'd lead us," he explained as they continued to make their way to the kitchen.

"Wait, who 'us'? Who went with Alby?" Scarlett questioned him further. She already had a good idea about that, but she still hoped he'd deny it.

"Me, Scar!" Newt exclaimed. "Me obviously, don't act like you don't know it's me," he really seemed at the edge of breaking down now and she knew why. How could Alby do that to him? It was so cruel. Newt was terrified of the maze, and more than anyone else, he had good reasons. It constantly reminded him of his accident. The pressure, the stress and the fear of not getting out in time. Something that Scarlett understood very well, for she experienced that every day when she ran the maze with Minho and the boys. She wanted to ask him if he was okay, if he wanted to talk about it, but she knew it'd upset him. He didn't seem to want to talk about it _at all_.

"I'm gonna talk to Alby", she decided, ready to storm away and find their leader to tell him what she thought about his attitude towards his second in command.

"Wait, wait wait!" Newt got a grip of her arm before she got the chance to turn on her heels and yell at Alby. "It- It's okay, I agreed to that."

The least to say was that she didn't expect this. Scarlett laid on him a startled gaze as she let the words sink in. Why would Newt do that? Was he up for another death wish?

"You're not doing this because you want to…?" She asked carefully, left her sentence unfinished, but he understood what she was thinking about right away.

"No! Of course not, are ya out of your brain?" Newt huffed. "I'm just- I feel useless sometimes, ya know?"

"No I don't get it." The girl crossed her arms on her chest waiting for an answer.

"I mean, y'all doing your job and running through the maze to find a way out of this shuck place even if we had no clue as to whether or not there is a single chance we'd get out of there, and I'm just walking around the glade every lovin' day of my lovin' life, doing nothing but checking if the others actually get something done!" Newt rambled, his hands flying in all directions while doing so. "I just wanted to do something useful for once!"

"What you're saying is completely nonsense," Scarlett shrugged while saying that, earning an angered glare from the boy. "You're working your butt off to make sure everyone's okay and no one feels forgotten. Most importantly, you're the one keeping us all together, fixing Alby's klunk when he goes all harsh and switched to 'dictator mode' so no one eventually decided to lead a bloody rebellion, god dammit Newt, never say again that you're useless!" Her eyebrows were knitted together in confusion and frustration as she went on about how stupid this idea was and that he better never mention that ever again in front of her if he didn't want to get his ass kicked. She withdrew her hand from Newt's arm when he looked over her shoulder, clearly not intending to meet her eyes.

"You have nothing to prove, Newt," she sighed, about to give up when he finally looked down, his brown eyes darker than usual.

"Yes I do, love," he state in a way that clearly ending the conversation there. "Now c'mon, I don't want to get in a fight with you. I'm tired and you're the only person I feel like hanging out with tonight," he told her, laying a soft gaze upon her, his pleading eyes asking her not to argue with that. She eventually nodded and both of them calmly walked away, hoping that Frypan wouldn't be mad because dinner time was over.

"Did you find anything interesting?" She asked after a while.

"Nah, you're going back tomorrow and if we still don't find anything, then it'll be over," Newt shrugged but the look on his face showed just how disappointed he was that his first run through the maze in over a year didn't bring anything.

"Newt-" Scarlett started, taking his hand in hers. She knew it would be pointless to try to convince him not to go, but she needed Newt to know that she wasn't endorsing that.

"It's fine. I can do it, I know I can do it."

She wanted to agree with him. Yeah, she wanted to tell him 'of course you can!' she wanted to lie and say that if anyone could do it, it was him. But it would have taken too much for her to lie to Newt. The maze broke him, and it awaited to do it again ever since Newt jumped off that shuck wall and hurt himself.

Scarlett squeezed his hand and Newt smiled to her.

[The next day]

"No!" She screamed, the cry burning her sore throat, for she has been trying to reason them all. "Let me go! You god damn klunk-for-brains shank, I said get your bloody hands off of me!" She yelled at Gally who was holding her back. He had a firm grip on both her wrist and kept them behind her back so she couldn't run away. "Minho! Do something! I swear, if you don't-"

"Shut up, _princess_," Gally order her. "We can't risk your ass for him. Either you make it or you die."

"Why, sorry for not being a heartless shank!" She grumbled under her breath, trying to swallow back her pride. "I don't care about your bloody rules! Rules are made too be broken, and that's exactly what I'm about to do! Now for fuck's sake Minho! Help me out!" She looked over at her co-runner and he looked away, unable to bear the look she was giving him. In defeat, Scarlett let her head fall down.

It was too late. In a few minutes – if not seconds – the walls would close and Newt still didn't come back. Everything she feared the most was happening. Not being trapped outside, not having someone else being trapped. No, none of this was enough. It had to be Newt. Newt had to be the one who wouldn't make it back before the walls close.

"Please, please…" Her shoulders began to shake. They first thought she was crying but only god knows what could make this girl cry because in one year, she didn't allow a single tear to escape, not even that one time Frypan asked her to cut the onions. "I cant'- I cannot leave him out there."

Gally made the mistake to loosen his grip on her and she fell down, dropping onto her knees.

"Leave her alone," Minho eventually stated before Gally had a chance to tighten his grip on her again. "I'll watch her."

The builder hesitated for a second but when she let out a muffled sob, he nodded his head and walked away, obviously not comfortable with having a crying mess under his charge. As soon as he was out of sight, Scarlett rose her head, stainless and tearless and Minho began to untie the cords around her wrists.

"I know I'll regret it, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you two were separated because of me," he explained quickly, helping her up and pacing up, almost running to the East door. It was the kind of reflection she usually told everybody to keep for themselves or to shove it up their asses, but now she was just grateful for Minho to be there and to understand. "We have to hurry, someone's going to see you're missing." They finally reached the door and Minho handed her his harness and a long knife she tied on her belt, before taking off his watch and giving her as well. "You have seven minutes starting from now, you better make it back in one piece, or I'll end you myself!" He said, pushing her into the maze and the girl ran away after giving him one last thankful look.

Seven minutes wasn't much and the fact that Minho had put on the time one his watch before giving it to her only added to her stress. She didn't know where to go, so she followed her instinct.

Six minutes left and she turned right, left, left again and then right. She knew where she was but without knowing where Newt went, it'll take a bit more than six minutes to find him. He retraced Ben's footsteps, but where the hell did Ben go?

Five minutes left and her heart was beating so fast it was threatening to jump out of her chest any time. Scarlett felt like throwing up. She stopped and took a second to think about where he could be. Obviously he cannot still be in one of the eight sections, he must be near the glade, trying to get out of the maze before the doors close. She turned on her heels and began to run in another direction, searching in the nearest corridors of the maze, trying to find clues of his passage.

Four minutes. Almost half of the time and she didn't even run a quarter of the corridors he could be in, trying to find his way out. Maybe she was wrong, maybe he was lost in one of the sections! He didn't go into the maze for over a year, he couldn't remember the patterns. She turned left. And right. Then left aga-

"Aaarf!" She heard a voice groan and when she realized she had just bumped into someone and was now laying on the ground, Scarlett couldn't help the huge smile that appeared on her face and she threw herself in Newt's arms.

"S-Scarlett? What the shuck are you doing here, you should be in the Glade!" He seemed angry though he hugged her back but quickly released her for they didn't have a second to lose. "We have to go back, now!" Newt said, looking all around him as if he was trying to decide where they should go.

Nodding in agreement, the girl grabbed his hand and showed him the direction, pulling him forwards. She knew she'd run faster if she let him go, but with his limp, Newt couldn't keep up the pace and she'd out distance him in no time. No, she wouldn't let go, she tightened her grip on his hand and he quickened their race, running alongside with her through every bloody corridor.

One minute left. Fifty nine seconds left. Fifty eight…

"We're almost there!" She wanted to urge him to run faster but she knew he was already giving everything he had and she couldn't ask more of him. Newt's eyes were crazy, giving panicked looks all around him, looking as if he was losing his mind between those high walls covered in ivy.

They turned around a corner and there it was. The door, with Minho and Gally and every other gladers gathered on the other side screaming their names as soon as their entered their field of vision. But their encouragement didn't help them go faster, they didn't prevent the walls from closing. Without even noticing it, Scarlett realized she had let go of Newt's hand and she was now running for her dear life, racing so fast she'd closed the distance between her and the glade in a few seconds but the time seemed to slow down when she looked over her shoulder to make sure Newt was still behind her. And he was behind her, far behind her. His uneven pace and painful ankle didn't allow him to go any faster and suddenly she realized what he did. He let go of her hand so she could make it. Without him.

She stopped running, a couple of steps away from the door, still hearing the boys calling her name in desperation but not listening a bit of it. And before Newt even managed to join her, the walls had closed with a loud thud.

They were trapped.

"No!" Newt shouted his face turning red from anger. "No, no no! Why would you do that?!" He had reached her position now and he was towering over her, giving her crazed glares. It took her aback when she felt him grab her wrists and pin her against the closed doors, hurting her when her head hit the rock. "Why did you stop? TELL ME WHY!" He yelled at her, not giving her a second to answer. He needed to let his frustration come out one way of another. "You're so shuckin' stupid Scarlett! You could've made it!"

"Calm the shuck down, Newt!" She replied, getting rid of his grip. "You're hurting me!"

This seemed to get him out of his trance and he let go of her, taking a step back.

"S-sorry," he looked away though he clearly wouldn't give up until she answered, even if he apologized for hurting her. "Why'd you stop?"

"You were so far behind!" She said, shaking her head and burying it in her palms. "Don't think I don't know why you let go of my hand! But I couldn't just leave you behind while I was safe and sound back into the Glade!"

"YES!" Newt shouted once again. "Yes, you could have! And that's what I wanted you to do!" The blond boy seemed to succumb to panic, his breathing hitched slightly.

"Calm down Newt," Scarlett soothed him, trying to get his attention by cupping his face with her hands, making him look at her. "Breath in and out, slowly, yes, like this…" It took a couple of minutes before Newt had recomposed himself and his brown eyes stared at her softly, like the calm after the storm. "You alright?" She asked, earning a little nod. "Good that."

"We can't stay here," he noted and she agreed, taking his hands again and carefully leading them away from the door, walking this time. "Seems like we both chose our day to be late for the door closing, yeah?" He tried said playfully, but his attempt to joke was greeted by silence. Not wasting a second, she continued to lead them through the maze, trying to get away from whatever sound could have meant a griever was near them.

Hours later, they stopped walking and sat down in a silent corridor, hidden behind a corner in hope to spend the rest of the night like that, with preferably no griever in sight. It was two in the morning, they had to last four more hours before the doors open again.

"Scar," Newt called her in a whisper and she snapped her head towards him, almost hurting her neck. She was so tired she could have fallen asleep right on the spot if it wasn't for Newt talking every now and then. "Why are you here? You've never been late, I know it, you're always an hour early… what happened?"

It was the question she anticipated ever since they got trapped, 'coz she knew he'd be mad for what she did. Lying wasn't an option though.

"I was," she simply said. "Early," she added when he gave her a questioning look. "But not you."

"You- you made it to the Glade and went back into the maze because of _me_?" He almost squealed while saying the last part as if the very idea of it was nonsense to him. But he quickly understood what it implied and if they weren't busy hiding from the grievers, he would have yelled. "Are you out of your bloody mind, why were you thinkin'?!" She whisper-shouted, earning a frankly annoyed glare.

"I don't care!"

"Yes you shuckin' do! Ya think I'm worth this kind of heroic sacrifice? You knew you wouldn't be back in time but you still threw yourself head first in the lion's den! What's wrong with you?" Newt didn't see the slap coming but he clearly felt it when her hand met his cheek.

He stared at her, puzzled, but it obviously worked since it made him calm down.

"It's not up to you to decide for who I can risk my bloody life!" Scarlett whisper-shouted back before her expression softened. "I'd rather be here with you than be safely hidden in the Glade, wondering whether or not you're still alive! If anything happened to you I'd-" But she couldn't finish her sentence, the words were stuck in the back of her throat. Tears began to build up in her eyes and Scarlett swallowed them down before Newt could see them. He didn't need to though, he knew exactly just how much it'd hurt, because he'd feel the same way if she was in danger.

"Come here," he opened his arms and she shifted closer to him. She was about to protest when she felt him lifting her up and placing in his lap, her legs over his thighs, but she bit her tongue. "I'm sorry for steaming off on you, you didn't do anything wrong, I'm just- this place and everything's just so-" He stammered, struggling to find the words.

"I know," she said, reassuring him.

"But I still think it was stupid to follow me into the maze," he eventually added, causing a little smile to cross her face. Scarlett was still curled up against Newt and she didn't respond to said. Both of them seemed to be content like this and they spent the following hour in that position.

Two hours and a half before the opening of the doors.

"Did you hear that?" Newt asked suddenly, losing his grip on her so he could take a peek at what was happening around the corner of the wall. A distant clicking noise was to be heard and they both pricked up their ears. "Gotta move, love," Newt whispered as he stood up swiftly, wincing when doing so, his ankle obviously giving him a hard time.

"Follow me," she told him, getting the two of them further into the maze, but away from the griever coming this way. A loud thud made them stop and the panicked look on their faces was speaking for them, really.

"Hurry up!" She told him, even though she was aware of his limp hurting him more by each step. Another inhuman scream came from the corridor they just took and Scarlett froze on the spot, causing Newt to bump into her. "We can't go there, they are everywhere," her voice was imbued with fright and worry as Newt grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down.

"Here, we can hide under the ivy, it's thick enough for both of us!" He pointed out, already crawling under the thick leaves and their branches, bringing her close to his chest and pulling the branches back over them. After making sure she was completely covered in leaves, Scarlett wrapped her arms around Newt's neck, trying to be as small as possible so the grievers wouldn't notice them. That is, if they use their eyes and not their… other senses, to find them. A pair of toned arms wrapped tightly around her waist and Newt's chin rested on top of her head.

"It's okay, it's okay…." He soothed her, his thumb distractedly rubbing her back through her shirt. She highly doubted he said that for her, Newt was giving panicked looks all around him and he tried to convince himself that they could make it. While her head was resting on his chest, Scarlett heard his heart beat abnormally fast and loud, it was almost worrying at this point. Suddenly, he held in his breath.

The terrible cry of a griever's scream made her miss a heartbeat and Scarlett tightened her grip around Newt's neck. If it wasn't for their short breathing, they would have been surrounded by complete silence before a metallic noise broke it. And another. The threatening noise of a griever's steel limbs approached towards them and nor Newt neither Scar would've been able to tell how long it lasted until it eventually turned around the corner and continued its way. It felt like they stopped breathing for a minute or two and they stayed hidden under the ivy for a while, not daring to get out so short after the passage of the griever.

When they couldn't keep that positon any longer, Scarlett carefully crawled out of the ivy, helping Newt up and taking the lead once again, despite Newt's constant gasps, every time he put too much weight on his bad leg.

"Let's stop here," she decided, unable to bear seeing Newt groan from pain at every step. "It seems to be safe, anyway."

"No, we have to keep going!" He argued, but she was already sitting down. "I'll survive, Scar, it's just a sore ankle!"

"You know it's not, it's serious," she gave him a stern look and he flinched. "I'm not changing my mind Newt. I already told you I'm not leaving you behind."

"This isn't something to joke about!" Newt grumbled, running his fingers through his messy blond hair, seeming utterly annoyed. "Don't ya understand that it's a shuckin' matter of life and death?!" His voice rose a bit he knew he couldn't talk too loud. "I'm not letting you die because I'm not running fast enough!"

"I'm not leaving you," she repeated again, making him groan in frustration.

"Stop saying that!" He shouted, his voice echoing through the endless corridors of the maze. Jumping on her feet, Scarlett took his hand and walked away with him, not wanting to meet another griever because of Newt's outburst. But while she was pulling him along with her, she felt his shake and it made her slow down. "I-I don't wanna fight with you, Scar, I don't- I just don't know what to do. If anything happens, I won't be able to protect you, I'm not any help…"

Spinning on her heels, Scarlett locked her eyes with Newt's sad ones and took a deep breath.

"I don't need no knight in a shining armor, Newt. You're not supposed to protect me, I already told you, you have nothing to prove!" She tried to convince him but he simply shook his head, looking away.

"And I told you that you were wrong…" He sighed.

"What do you want to prove then? And to who? Who the shuck is worth so much trouble?!" Scarlett asked him, trying to make him realize that no one was worth that kind of trouble. "Is it Alby?"

"Alby ? Why, no! Can't you bloody see it?" He looked genuinely puzzled that she didn't get it. "It's you."

A frown appeared on her forehead.

"What would you feel the need to prove me?"

"That I deserve my place here, that I'm capable! That I can bloody take care of you! Do you know how klunk it makes me feels to stay hidden behind those walls while you go out there risking your life every day?" As he rambled about his so called uselessness, Scarlett's gaze became soft and a small smile spread across her face.

"We're here to take care of each other, it's doesn't just go one way, ya know," she stated. Newt's entire body was shaking for it was cold and they had been running around the maze all night long, but it wasn't that that made him tremble like that.

They were interrupted by the disgusting sound of flesh moving on the dirty ground.

"We have to go!" Scarlett whispered but Newt grabbed her arm, making her stay in place.

"No, wait, I have to tell you something!" He urged her to stay but the look she gave him clearly indicated how scared she was with a griever lurking in a corridor near from them. "I know you're not leaving me, you made it pretty clear, but if we fall face to face with a griever-"

"Newt, cut it short!"

"If we meet a griever and you have a chance to run away, promise me you'll do it," he gave her a serious look, as if he'd let go of her arm only if she agreed to that, but she shook her head.

"No."

"Promise, Scar. I need you to promise. I'm not saying I'll surrender without even fighting, I want to live too! But I need to know that you'll do anything in your power to make it out." He insisted, not loosening for a bit his grip on her. "Please?"

"Sure," she eventually nodded, after a second of hesitation. "Now can we go, please?"

"I can only do that if I know you'll be safe, promise!"

"I promise, god dammit Newt! Let's go now!"

"I'm not finished yet!"

Her heart beat was breaking speed records by now and her eyes kept switching from Newt to the end of the corridor, anticipation their soon-to-be meeting with a griever.

"I have to tell you something, just in case we don't make it, there's something I need you to know-"

"Shut up, Newt, we don't have time for this!" Tears were starting to show up in the corner of her eyes but Newt seemed determined to say what he wanted to tell her.

"Please listen to me, it's important. If we can't make it through the night, I want you to know that-"

But she didn't allow him to finish and grabbed him by his collar with her free hand, making him lean down and captured his lips. To say that he was surprised was the biggest understatement, Newt couldn't believe what was happening. He barely had the time to kiss her back before she broke the kiss all too soon.

"You'll tell me when we get out of here," she told him. Newt was left speechless and Scarlett took the occasion to grab his hand and led them away.

One hour left.

For a while they ran non-stop. If it wasn't for Minho's watch, they wouldn't know how long they wandered through the maze, never going too far away from the doors, ready to run out of this bloody maze as soon as dawn shows up.

Twenty minutes left.

"We'll make it," Scarlett cheered in a whisper, finally allowing herself to hope. She turned to face Newt who looked beyond tired and ready to collapse. "We've almost done it, Newt! Only a few minutes left, we're not going to die!" The way she looked at him with her big eyes, her face lighting up when she met his gaze, made him smile genuinely for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. Her cheeriness rubbed off on him and Newt pulled her in a hug, laughing silently. The sky was already lighting up, turning redder by the minute as the sun rose up in the sky.

"Yeah, we made it, we made it…" he uttered against her ear, feeling her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders as if he was her life buoy. He wanted to taste her lips again.

"The others won't believe their eyes…" she laughed warmly but stopped when she felt Newt's body tense up, freezing in her arms. "Newt? What's th-"

"Pschut!" He hushed her, and she fell silent. "Don't move."

From the corner of his eye, he was an indistinct form approach with a muffled noise, growing louder as it came closer.

"Run," he whispered.

She couldn't tell what happened exactly when she saw that griever, but something definitely clicked in her and Newt didn't need to tell her twice to run, for she was already racing through the corridors, encouraged by Newt's constant calls to show her that he was right behind. Her ears were whistling and her heart racing even faster than her feet. Scarlett felt her stomach make a knot and she felt the urge to stop running and puke. She'd never seen a griever before, and it was hideous. A huge mass of bloody flesh with mechanic arms and all sorts of deadly weapons – thorns, rotary saw, blade – sticking out of its body. The thing didn't seem to have eyes of a mouth for what she saw – and she was intending to turn around to have a closer look, she already saw more than enough.

When she noticed the absence of Newt's calls, it was already too late.

Scarlett slowed down her pace to take a look over her shoulder and when she did so she almost tripped over her feet. She stumbled a few more meters away from him before turning on her heels and ran back towards him. Newt was still running but at a slower pace for his limp made him feel like he was dying. When he spotted her running in his direction instead of going towards the doors. They were already in sight, still closed though.

"No! Scar, no! Turn around!" He screamed in vain. She couldn't hear his desperate shouts, the sound of her own heart beats deafened her and he was too far away from where she was.

"Newt! Run! RUN!" Her screams barely reached his ears. Newt knew they out ran the griever, but it seemed like a whole bunch of them were close, the repulsing sound of moving flesh and the ticking of their limbs scratching against the walls.

It took her less than a minute to reach his position but when she finally did, when Newt was at arm distance, a piercing and beastly scream came from the left. A reddish mass appeared from a corridor on their left and Scarlett's first instinct was to push Newt aside, merely realizing she'd hurt him and he fell to the ground, knocked out. Then, a flash of terrible pain ran through her body. Her back hurt like hell and it momentarily withdrew the air from her lungs. The last thing she saw before falling into unconsciousness, was Newt's body laying against the wall, half covered in ivy and blood staining his temple.

"Shut up!"

"Get ya ass up, shuck face!"

"Everybody go back to your business!"

"Is she dead?"

"What happened?"

"How's it even possible?"

The voices around her felt like hammers to her sore head. The voice that she recognized as Alby's told them to shut up and go back to work once again and some of the voices faded. The only one she could still hear were Minho's, Gally's and Alby's voice. But she didn't want to hear them and shut her mind. Scarlett knew very well what they must be talking about. Minho gets scolded for letting her go back into the maze, Gally shouting at him and demanding to get him punished, Alby trying to deal with their klunk. But what she paid attention to was Newt's absence. What happened? Where was he? If she survived to the griever, he must have made it too. Or did she hurt him worse than she thought? His head hit the wall and it knocked him out when she pushed him out of the way. Oh god, please, let Newt be safe.

"She's waking up!" Jeff, the Medjack who was silent until now, spoke up. Scarlett opened her eyes only to close them again for the bright daylight blinded her. She opened her mouth to speak but an unbearable pain made her wince in pain, biting her lip not to scream, Scarlett swore out loud.

"I'd stay in that bed if I were you", Alby's calm voice stated. Not resisting to the call of sarcasm, Scarlett cracked a smile.

"Lucky you're not me then," She scoffed. "Where's Newt?"

Gally raised his hands to the sky and walked away, seeming annoyed for a reason she didn't get.

"What's his problem?" She shook her head towards the Keeper of the Builders. Minho raised an eyebrow, making it seem as though it was obvious.

"Why don't ya worry 'bout yourself first, yeah?" Alby asked her, a small smile spreading his face and his arms crossed over his chest. He seemed to be torn between yelling at her for breaking the rules and patting her shoulder for surviving the night in the maze.

"Just answer my bloody question," Scarlett sat up slowly, the flashing pain making it feel like she had been cut in two.

"Your boyfriend's okay, just a little dizzy from the blow. What happened to him?" Minho said, frowning his eyebrows but his worried expression flattened by his relaxed posture, leaned against the door frame.

"Long story," she laughed lightly. She didn't say anything about the 'boyfriend' thing, knowing it wouldn't lead her anywhere to start an argument over this with Minho.

"We'll let you get dressed and Jeff finish fixing you up. Newt was asking 'bout ya anyway. I'll tell him to come over." Alby nodded before turning around and leaving the Medjacks' tent, taking Minho with him.

"You're all fixed up don't worry, it'll just take time to heal. You're forbidden from running until I tell you can," Jeff informed her before handing her a stack of folded clothes and closed the door after him. As soon as he stepped out, Scarlett stood up, throwing her ripped shirt away and bringing her fingers to her back, evaluation the damages. Apart from the huge scar that already crossed her back when she came out of the box, a year ago, there was now another one. A twin scar barred her back, drawing a cross. A 'x' marked her back, and it hurt like nothing she ever experienced, but she swallowed the tears down.

"Scarlett, is everything o- Oh sorry! I'm out, sorry," a worried yet familiar voice came from behind her and the girl heard the door shut. She was standing back to the door and didn't see Newt walk in. Grabbing her clothes and putting them on as quickly as she could before stumbling to the door and opening it, finding a blushing Newt on the other side.

"Sorry," he mumbled, turning even redder but a shy smile cracking on his face. Scarlett felt her face warm up at the sight of those brown eyes she loved so much.

"It's okay," she shrugged, not really minding about Newt seeing her half naked. She knew he'd never make fun of her for that – unlike most of the boys, especially Minho. He stepped inside and shut the door. Silence settled in and Newt stood there, awkwardly swinging his weight from his right foot to his left one. "By the way, sorry for…" Scarlett didn't finished her sentence but pointed to his head. Newt brought his hand over his wound.

"Yeah, I think I'll survive, don't ya worry," he smirked. "You saved my life," he added, more seriously. Scar opened her mouth to speak but Newt continued. "You promised to save yourself first." His tone was accusing.

"Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same," she crossed her arms on her chest but the gesture was clearly a mistake, she gasped in pain and Newt's arms flew around her, preventing her from bending in two. He made her sit down and sat beside her on the bed.

"You're hurt because of me. If I could run faster, you'd be fine," Newt said, blaming himself for everything that had happened, as usual.

"C'mon Newt," she said calmly, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and their eyes locked. "I _am_ fine. Besides, with or without your limp, you're still my favorite," she wanted to make him smile and it worked better than she thought. Newt let out a laughter and she smiled proudly. He laughed so rarely it was a delight to hear him laugh.

"You're my favorite too," he told her kindly, his hand on her knee, rubbing gentle circles. "Scar…" he whispered as though he tasted her name on his tongue. "How does it feel?"

"Like hell," the girl brought her free hand to her back again and touched her fresh scar from the tip of her fingers. "W-what happened? How did we get out of the maze?"

"I woke up and I found you bleeding and unconscious on the ground. I carried you back to the Glade. I guess we're just lucky I remembered the way out," he chuckled, but the playful tone disappeared. "I wish I could have done more though."

"Hey," Scarlett shoved him, distracting him from his murky thoughts. "We've made it! You can smile, Newt!"

Of course it made him smile, but it was nothing compared to the huge smile that made its way onto his face when she kissed him on the cheek.

"What was it that you wanted to tell me in the maze?"

"Ugh?"

"The thing that I _needed to know_ in case we wouldn't make it," she reminded him. Newt's face flushed with a deep shade of red and he mumbled awkwardly.

"It-It was nothing, it's nothing important, just f-forget about it, okay?" He stuttered, losing all confidence all of a sudden. It took Scarlett aback, she always knew the confident Second in Command, but Newt was acting so weird these last times.

"What's the matter? Tell me, I don't bite."

When she said that she didn't mean no harm but Newt turned to look at her and his brown eyes dived into hers, causing her smile to fade away. Was is that serious? Silence fell upon them and they remained still for a couple of minutes, doing nothing but staring at each other in pure awe, before Newt eventually broke the thickening tension between them.

"I- I love you," Newt muttered slowly, as if the very words were hard to pronounce. Scarlett felt like someone just kicked her in the stomach.

"What? What did you say?" She asked in disbelief, not thinking one bit that what she heard could be the truth. Newt rose from the bed, jumping on his feet even though he should be careful with his ankle.

"Told ya it wasn't important, never mind, just forget about it," he stormed off, ready to leave the tent but Scarlett caught his hand before he got the chance to sneak out.

"Did you really just say you love me?" She asked again. She had to make sure it wasn't just her fantasies which were making her hear wrong. It couldn't be. Powerless, Newt couldn't ignore her pleading eyes and he nodded. Before he realized, Scarlett had pulled him in for another kiss yet again. Expect this time, they were safe and no griever would interrupt them. The girl's arms automatically wrapped themselves around Newt's neck and one of her hands ran through his hair, making him smile in the kiss. He brought his hands on her hips and pressed her against him, feeling as though she'd never be close enough even if they melted into each other. His left hand made moved to her back, slowly making its way up, causing her to gasp when it met her wound.

"Sorry," Newt uttered in the kiss.

"It's okay," Scarlett pecked his lips one last time. "It's okay," she repeated, meeting his eyes. For the first time in forever, his eyes were smiling just as wide as his lips.

"I love you too, Newt," she told him, watching his puzzled face. "Don't give me that look! You think I'd follow anyone else in the maze before twilight?" She shoved him and it brought him out of his trance.

"Why, I hope not," Newt smiled at her, laying a warm gaze upon the girl he loved. "You taste just as good as I imagined, love." Grabbing her chin, Newt gently lift it up for her lips to meet his own and kissed her again, not getting tired of the feeling of her lips on his.


	4. Please Don't - Heather

"No!" Heather said sternly, putting both of her hands in front of her, preventing Minho from coming closer. "Nononono! Don't you dare!"

The boy took a step forward, his hands still holding the small creature. He had caught a spider and was running after the girl with it, almost dying from laughter every time she let out a squeal and ran away.

"C'mon Heath! The small beast ain't eating the big one!" He teased her, making her jump back when he approached. Heather shivered from disgust and huffed.

"Put that thing away from me, I'm not kiddin' Minho!" The threatening finger she pointed at him didn't seem to bother him much and his smile grew wider. "I will put a bloody Beetle Blade in your hammock tonight if you take another step!" He simply rolled his eyes, not scared for a second.

"How can such a pretty mouth swear like yours? You're spending too much time with Newt," Minho scoffed, the spider still struggling to escape from the fingers.

"Yeah well, that's because he's not chasing me around with a spider!" Heather walked back to the Homestead. "We've been running all day, can't you just put the damn spider down and leave me alone?" She asked, sounding annoyed. The Asian boy knew she was tired from her day running in the maze, but she never refused a good chase after dinner. Except when she was the one who was being chased of course.

The two of them reached the homestead soon enough, joining the others boys, some of them were still eating, but most where just talking around the bonfire. In the dim light of the fire, everything seemed peaceful tonight, but most of the time, it wasn't. Newt, who was walking around, spotted Heather and Minho and jogged towards them.

"Newt!" The girl called him. "Minho's being mean with me!" She pouted and then smirked at Minho when Newt shot him a glare. It's been eight months that they were here. Nick, George, Alby, Minho, Frypan, Winston, Newt, Heather and a couple others came up through the box. They were scared, confused and beyond angry when they woke up here, lost, clueless and with no memory of their past. It was sad to say but the two boys who were part of first arrival ran into the maze, and got lost or killed – whatever – when trying to escape from this place, and Heather couldn't even remember their names. Nick became the leader, Alby was the second in command, and George – poor George – died when he tried to escape through the box. He tried to go out through the box, but when it didn't go down with someone in it, he waited for it to go back down and tried to go after it.

He got cut in two, after making it down three meters.

"What's he bloody holding in his hand?" Newt asked, nodding slightly to Minho and frowning his brows. His face was stained with dirt and sweat and he looks ready to pass out from exhaustion, but his eyes were steady and alert.

"A spider!" She said, hiding behind Newt's figure.

"You're such a girl," Minho sighed in defeat and put the poor thing down, freeing it. Newt cracked a smile and Heather stepped aside, glaring daggers at Minho.

"She _is_ a bloody girl, shank," Newt rolled his eyes at his friends and Minho snickered, walking away, shoulders down.

"Thank you," Heather sighed in relief when he was far enough. Newt looked at her and smirked.

"Didn't know ya were scared of spiders," he chuckled, giving her that half-smile of his. "And yet you don't mind running the maze every day even though you could meet a shuckin' griever."

"It's not the same!" Heather crossed her arms over her chest and made a face. She felt a little silly for being so scared over small little creatures like spiders but she couldn't help it, it come from her guts. It was something deep in her and even though she couldn't remember anything from her past, she knew that it was something from the past her. The Heather before the maze was obviously freaked out by spiders.

And the person she was today had to face imminent death and terrible injuries on a daily basis, just because some wicked people thought they could play God and put them all here.

"Grievers can't viciously crawl on me at night with their eight hairy legs and six eyes staring at me," she said, shivering at the very idea. Newt let out a small laugh at those words, and he threw his arm over her shoulder, leading them both to the shelters.

"You're one funny lass, Heather," he poked her cheek, causing her to blush. God bless, it was too dark for him to notice. "If I didn't know ya I'd think you're chickening out…" Newt shook his head, falsely serious. Heather shoved him and he rubbed his arm.

"And violent!" He growled and she stuck her tongue at him in a fit of pure maturity.

"I can be sweet if I want to," she argued, both of them resuming their walk.

"Why are you not sweet with me then?" He arched one of his eyebrows and peeked down at her. "Heath?" Newt asked when she didn't answer. She had bitten her lower lip, fighting the urge to shove him again. He was just so thick sometimes.

Suddenly, she wrapped an arm around Newt's waist, snuggling closer to him. Heather was surprised by her own action, but it seemed like her body took the lead over her mind. At first, he was taken aback and didn't react, but Newt soon looped his arms around her as well, pulling her in a hug. She felt his hands travel up and down her back, stroking her gently.

"Aren't I always?" She eventually muffled, her voice barely a whisper against Newt's shirt. Her hands felt so small, resting on his back. She griped on his shirt for dear life. Newt had been her anchor ever since they all came up through that box. In the dark, small box, at ten, and with supplies… yeah, even there, they were already together. She remembered gripping on somebody next to her, she remembered his calming voice soothing her when she had trouble breathing. That goddamn box went up and up for half an hour and he girl felt awfully claustrophobic and she was sick to her stomach at the thought of never getting out of it. Newt – even before she knew who he was – made his duty to take care of her. She felt so small in his arms, so fragile, that he couldn't even consider letting go of her.

"Of course you are, Heath," Newt finally answered after a couple of minutes of silence. "I was just messin' with ya." He shot her a smile when they parted.

"Let's go back," she replied, gesturing to the shelters, where most of the boys were.

"Erm.. nah, I gotta see Nick first," Newt said, scratching the back of his neck. "Go, I'll catch up on you, love."

"I already told you to stop callin' me that," she rolled her eyes at him. "I might fall for you."

"I might want you to," he said, wiggling his eyebrows in a funny way and causing her to laugh.

It took a couple of minutes to wake her up, but Newt kept shaking her lightly until her eyes fluttered open. Her hands flew to her eyes to rub off the sleepiness and Heather let out a muffled groan.

"Newt?" She asked with a smoky voice. "What time is it?"

"It's five o'clock, darling," he replied in a way too enthusiastic tone for such an early hour. Newt was kneeling beside her bed, and he tried to steal her cover so she would stand up but the girl had a firm grip on her blanket and she wouldn't let go. "Get your pretty ass up and meet me outside," Newt quickly told her before leaving her there.

When she eventually took the blanket off her head, Heather noticed it was still itch black, the sun hasn't risen up yet.

"I'm gonna bloody kill him," she groaned to herself before giving in. She threw the cover away and quickly dressed up. Then she tiptoed out of her room and walked downstairs. As he's told her, Newt was waiting for her in front of the shelters.

"Ready?" He asked her as soon as she stepped out, a smile spreading his face from ear to ear. The girl ran her fingers through the thick mass of her hair, trying to untangle them the best she could. A yawn escaped from her lips.

"Do I really have a choice?" She asked with her sleepy voice, yet her eyes were alert.

"No," Newt stated before grabbing her hand and leading her away. It might sound silly but when his hand touched hers, Heather suddenly felt very awake and aware of herself. Small sparks spread in her arm and caused goose bumps to rise on her skin. It wasn't really the fact that he was holding her hand, but the way he did it. The way Newt always interlaced their fingers when doing so caused her heart troubles.

But of course, she was the only one feeling this.

"Newt, where are we going? Do you even see where you're walking?" She giggled lightly.

"I don't need to see anything, I know this place better than my pocket," Newt assured her. Something in the way he said the last part sounded harsh, bitter. Heather knew Newt was affected by this place more than anyone else. They've been there for almost a year now, with no perspective of leaving anytime soon. Add to that the fact that this place was the only place they remember, and it quickly become unbearable to live here.

Eventually, they reached the watchtower and Newt let go of her hand, to her disappointment. Both of them began to climb to the top, silently until they reached the top.

"We should be sleeping, we're supposed to run the maze all day long, remember?" Heather whispered to the boy. Newt sat down at the edge of the tower and patted the place next to him, gesturing her to join him. When she did, his head tilted towards her.

"I know, but-" Newt shut his mouth, obviously searching his words and Heather waited for him to continue. She rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm herself up, for the air was cold at night. "I just-" Newt continued but stopped again.

"What is it Newt?" She whispered again, giving him a concerned look.

"Why are you whispering? We're alone here," Newt pointed out, making her blush.

Heather shrugged it off and gestured him to go on. He probably thought she would just forget about it because Newt seemed unease suddenly.

"I- I just wanted to spend time with you." He swallowed with difficulty. "I like spending time with you." His eyes avoided hers, he stared at his own hands fumbling with each other as if it was the most fascinating thing ever. Again, his honest confession made her heart flutter.

"I like it too," she said, making him look up. "Do you wanted to tell me anything in particular?"

"No I- I really just wanted to be with you. And I wanted to show you something," he smiled and pointed to the horizon. Slowly the sky was lightning up, the darkness of the night being chased away by the rising sun. To be honest it just as beautiful as sad, for the spectacle was breathing taking, but all they could see was the never ending maze deploying before them.

"It's incredible," Heather gasped at the sight.

"Yeah you are," Newt said, causing her head to snap towards him. "I mean, yeah you're right, it's –it's beautiful," he stuttered out, blushing so hard he could feel his cheeks heat up. Luckily it was still too dark for Heather to notice anything. She smiled as an answer, though she understood perfectly what he said, be it a slip of the tongue or not. Newt usually wasn't like this, he wasn't shy or hesitant. Newt was a decision maker, a good runner, a tough guy who you could rely on, slightly flirty and sarcastic, but not one bit timid.

"It's time to get ready," he pointed out after a while, sighing deeply in regret when he saw the first runners walk across the glade. Heather nodded silently and both of them climbed down the ladders without saying a word, just enjoying a bit more of the calmness o f the morning, when almost no one was around.

"Hey," she called him, making Newt turn around. As soon as he was facing her, she threw her arms around him, snuggling really close. When he got over the surprise, Newt hugged her back, nuzzling his face in her hair and breathing in her scent. Heather, in Newt's opinion, was the only thing that smelled good around here, and he never denied an occasion to appreciate her soft scent, especially if it gave him a chance to touch her hair. It was a gentle gesture that relaxed both of them whenever they were feeling down.

"Heath?" Newt spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Uhm?" She looked up and they began to walk towards the doors again.

"Just so you know, you've always been my favorite person here, those shanks cannot compete," he told her, shooting her a bright smile and causing her to chuckle. "Plus, they smell terrible."

At his words, Heather began to laugh. "Now, that is one fine compliment Newt!" She managed to say in between her laughter. "But I gotta say that I like you best, too."

A smile appeared on his face, though it was tainted with a bit of something that Heather couldn't quite recognize. None of them added anything after that and simply walked towards the others, ready to run the maze. Once again.

Heather wipe the sweat away from her forehand and checked on her wrist what time it was. As always she was pretty good in time, almost half an hour early. It was something she took the habit to do, be early. Just in case anything happened and she'd need more time to make it to the doors before they close. But when nothing happening, like today, she didn't go straight back to the glade, she joined Newt in his section and they ran back together.

So that's what she did, expecting to find him somewhere in the corridors nearby the doors, but she couldn't find him today. Did he go back without her? No, he never forgets, he must be running a little late. She'd just walk around for five more minutes and then if he's still not here, she'd go back and see if he's in the glade. Heather refused to think about what she would do if he wasn't. He had to be there. No other option.

"Newt?" She called every time she turned around a corner. "Newt?!" After a couple of minutes and passing twice in front of each corridor, Heather began to shout louder. Worry was creeping into her heart and she quickened her pace, feeling her heart rate accelerate along. Only twenty minutes left. She should go back. It's the safest thing to do. How stupid she'd look if she got all worked up and it turned out that Newt was sitting in his hammock in the glade all this time!

Suddenly, something caught her attention.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a vague form on the ground, and her entire body tensed up at the thought that maybe she'd have her first encounter with a griever. She sighed in relief when she saw that it was way too small to be one of the horrendous creatures, and she turned round the corner, jogging to the unidentified form laying there.

It didn't take long for her to recognize what it was though. Who it was.

Heather would recognize that blond hair anywhere, and when it hit her that it was Newt laying there, probably unconscious, she sped up, dashing through the high walls until she reached him. Her heart was beating so fast that it must have broken speed records and it throbbed in her whole body, the beats echoing in her head and ears and deafening her to the point where she was momentarily disoriented when she stopped running.

"Newt! NEWT!" She shouted, grabbing him by his shoulders and shaking him, trying to make him react. But his eyes remained closed. A shrilling sound was piercing in her head. Heather had to calm down, she knw it, she wouldn't be any help if she gave in to panic, she had to stay focused. Leaning down, she placed her head on his chest, her ear right above Newt's heart, to try and see if he was alive.

"Please, don't be dead, please, please..." She repeated like a prayer as she struggled to slow down the pace of her heartbeats and hear something. But it wouldn't calm down, and she felt as though her heart was about to jump out of her chest or drop down into her stomach any time. After almost one minute of listening closely without any result, she finally heard something, but she couldn't trust herself.

"Newt! Newt, ya hear me? Please, if you hear me do something, say something or just squeeze my hand, do whatever!" Her eyes were so watery that her vision was troubled. Although she aggressively tried to swallow back her tears and wiped away those who escaped, everything was still blurry around her.

"What happened? What on earth, hap-" she kept rambling to herself until she noticed the ivy intertwined in Newt's left hands and the leaves stuck in his shoe. Looking up, Heather frowned in confusion. There was a place on the wall here all the ivy was ripped off and hanging above them in a weird shape that couldn't possibly be due to nature. Newt was up there.

"I swear Newt, if you die on me, I'll kill you with my own hands!" She groaned in frustration, panic letting place to anger. Heather wasn't stupid, and it jumped to her eyes as soon as she laid eye on that shuck wall. The ivy didn't go all the way to the top, which meant that Newt had no intention of climbing to the top to try and escape, or see the maze and what was beyond. He actually climbed because he was planning to go up to a certain point. And then what?

He jumped.

It was the only logical explanation.

But she didn't have time for that. Fifteen minutes left before the doors close. And she couldn't leave Newt here. Now that she gathered her thoughts she tried again to see if Newt was giving any sign of life.

"Please, don't be dead, please please, don't Newt. I need you, you can't just leave me here, please..." She cried out painfully, the words burning her throat like white-hot iron. "Why did you do that, Newt? Why didn't you come to me? Don't do that, please, you have to live!"

This time Heather placed her hand over his parted lips to see if he was breathing. Something tickled her palm and she almost cried in relief. There was no more time to play the Doctor. Grabbing Newt by his shoulders, she put him up and leaned him against the nearest wall.

"C'mon, we have to hurry. I'm not letting you die here, not a chance," she groaned as she turned around. After firmly locking Newt's arms around her shoulders she lifted him up, carrying him as though she was giving him a piggyback ride and getting a solid grip on his legs so he wouldn't fall off her back when she began to run. Or at least, walk fast.

Luckily enough, they were pretty close to the doors, and everyone was already there, gathered around the doors and shouting at her. But it was so hot, and Heather ran all day and her heart was still missing beats and quickening every now and then when she remembered to go faster and faster because there wasn't any time left. She could barely hear what they were all shouting, for her ear were whistling and her vision was stained with black dots. The sun hit hard, it made her sweaty and dizzy, and suddenly, it became difficult for her not to collapse on the floor, while Newt slipped off her back, slowly but surely. She needed to have a rest, to sit down just a second or two, but the reasonable side of her knew there wasn't a chance they'd make it if she did that, so she blinked a couple of times, trying to recover her vision and continued to walk.

God damn that stupid rule that says that nobody can go into the maze! Couldn't they see she needed help? Would they all let Newt and her die in the maze without lifting a finger?

The ground began to shake under her feet and Heather tripped over and fell on the floor as a loud thud shook the whole glade and dived it into silence. The doors began to move within the following second and without even noticing or knowing where she had found the strength to do so, Heather was standing straight and she had Newt's arm around her shoulders, while her own arm supported Newt's weight, looped around his waist and dragging him toward the glade.

Again, exhaustion and the heat got to her and Heather momentarily lost her eyesight, but she kept walking. She would only stop when she hears the sound of the doors closing completely, not before. The only thing stronger than her state of utter weakness was her determination to never let down Newt. No, she couldn't fail him.

"YOU CAN DO IT!"

"Heather! Just a little more! Do it, just shucking do it!"

"FASTER! You're almost there!"

"What happened to Newt?!"

The voices became clearer as they approached but be she damned if she knew who they belonged to. Her entire body was numb, the only thing she felt was the burning feeling of her tired muscles still working and trying to get them both out of there before it was too late, and it brought tears to her eyes, not making it any better.

Eventually, there was a loud thud of stone hitting stone behind her and she fell down, along with Newt's unconscious body. When her head hit the ground, Heather blacked out.

When she opened her eyes, Heather woke up like someone who almost died from drowning, her eyes shot open and her lungs searched for air, making almost painful to breath. Her first instinct – and she agreed that it was stupid – was to sit up, but she fell back down, dizzy.

"Heather, you're awake." She head a voice say and looked around. Jeff just entered the tent. She was in the Medjacks' tent. "Lay down," he told her, causing her to groan.

"What happened?" She asked, her voice sounding oddly raspy, as if she hadn't spoken in a while. She rubbed her temples, finding it weird that she didn't have a headache, the last thing she remembered was her head hitting the ground.

"You blacked out from exhaustion and dehydration," he answered briefly, not getting into details. Jeff gave you a stack of clothes and places a plate full of Frypan's special omelet.

"Now eat and shower, you'll feel better soon," he commanded and stood up, ready to leave.

"Wait! How long have I been unconscious?" She asked right before he stepped out of the tent. The sun seemed to be high in the sky, so she must have been asleep for a while.

"A day. I said, eat, shower and rest. Got it shank?" He raised an eyebrow, showing that no wasn't the answer. "By the way..." he added before leaving. "We're all glad you made it."

Heather wanted to ask if Newt was okay, if he was awake. She wanted to see him, but first, she had to eat and shower and then, maybe she'd find him if they allowed her to see him. And shuck it if they don't, she was going to see Newt, no matter what.

After finishing her plate and getting dressed, Heather sneaked out of the tent. She didn't know where to go, since Newt wasn't in the Medjacks' tent with her, where could he be? And who would tell her? No Jeff, or Clint, and definitely not Nick or Alby, they'd both tie her to her bed if they found out she sneaked out even though Jeff clearly told her to stay in best and rest.

Then, she saw a bunch of curly hair and got an idea. Heather grabbed Chuck by the arm and dragged him behind the Homestead, where no one could see them.

"Heather! What are you doing, you shouldn't be there!" Chuck rambled when he saw her. "Alby went to see you but you weren't in the tent, he's gonna kill you!"

"Calm down Chuck, I just want to see Newt, do you know where he is?" She urged him to answer. Now that the others knew she sneaked out, they were going to look for her, and the first place they'd go was where Newt was. She'd have to wait until they checked there, so she could see him without being interrupted. They had a lot to talk about. Chuck must have seen it in her eyes because he eventually gave in. "He's in Nick's room. They didn't want to let you two together before they knew what happened. Please, don't make me say anything more, I'll get into trouble," he asked her, obviously a little scared of Nick and Alby.

"It's okay, you've said enough, go!" Heather let go of his arm and the little boy ran away and went back to work, looking over his shoulder as if he was guilty of a terrible crime. Heather smiled faintly before being snapped out of her thoughts but the sound of the front door of the homestead being smacked open.

"Where the shuck is she?!" Alby shouted. Apparently, they already visited Newt.

"I don't know, but we'll find her eventually," Nick said, his tone as calm as always. "Just go back to work, she'll show up sooner or later."

_Perfect_, she thought.

The way Nick's room was silent, nothing but Heather's quick breathing was disturbing the silence and when she entered the room, closing the door behind her, Newt didn't see her right away. He was laying on the bed, facing the opposite of the room, back to her.

"Newt," she gasps almost inaudibly. But that small whisper could have as well been shouted for it was the only sound she made, making Newt jump in surprise and turn around to see her. He recognized her immediately, not even hesitating when he heard that worried tone of hers.

"Heath! What are y-" But Newt was shut up by Heather's sudden gesture. She dived towards him and sunk in his arms, holding him so tight that she feared to crush him in her embrace, but she was so happy to see him. Words were pointless by now and Newt placed his arms around her body and pressed her even closer, as if he wanted her to melt into him by doing so. There was nothing on the planet Heather would rather be doing right now than holding Newt and seeing him safe and sound. The blond boy rubbed her back and buried his face in the crook of her neck while she did the same, not letting go even a bit. The gesture by itself was enough for both of them to understand that the other was fine, they didn't need to say anything, although Heather felt like she could burst in tears and ramble to no end about how inconsiderate it was to do what he did, but right now she didn't want to. All she wanted to do was to hold him. They stayed in each other's arms for so long that they both lost track of time.

"Thank god, you're alive. I was so worried Newt, so worried..." Heather uttered after breaking apart. Newt's hand lingered on her cheek and when he saw her glassy eyes, ready to shed a tear, he wanted nothing more than see her smile again. "I thought... I thought-" She struggled to find the words, her voice cracking every time he tried to say it.

"I know, I'm sorry Heath... If only you knew how sorry I am," Newt sighed, powerless. Yet she smiled through her tears, which began to flow freely.

"But you're alright now, that's all that matters," she said, grabbing Newt's hand which still cupped her face and placing a kiss on his knuckles. "Ar you hurt?"

"Erm, I broke my ankle and I have a few bruises, but Clint and Jeff are going to stitch me us just fine, don't worry 'bout that, love," Newt shrugged it off. He seemed abnormally _fine_ for someone who jumped off a wall in order to end his life a few hours before.

"Tell me what happened," Heather demanded, earning a stern glare, imbued with sadness. "And don't you dare lie to me, I saw the ivy." A panicked expression painted itself on Newt's face.

"Did you tell anyone?" He asked, suddenly scared.

"No, no I didn't speak to anyone. I wanna speak with you, I wanna know what the shuck crossed your mind! And I- I want you to promise me you'll never do it again."

Newt looked away, almost seeming mad, though their hands were still locked together.

"Don't make me do that. Do I really have to explain it? Not to you Heath, I don't think so..."

"You think I'm not aware of your misery? I see it Newt! I know just well how much you hate that place, I know you're in pain and desperate, and you bottle up all your feelings because you feel like you should show the example! I know you better than myself and I cannot understand how you ended up doing something that selfish and reckless!" Heather burst in... in anger? No, in frustration. "Why would you do that Newt? What did I do wrong for you to try and kill yourself? For you to leave me alone in this shuck place!"

"Heather please..." He tried to sooth her down but she was beyond that now and she turned her face away from him to hide her tears. She never wanted him to see her cry, but it was stronger than her, she couldn't help it. "I'm sorry."

"I know you're sorry! I don't care! I wanna know why!" She pleaded him, diving her eyes in his after wiping away the treacherous tears staining her cheeks.

"I..." Newt started, at loss for words, he who always seemed to at ease with manipulating them. "Everything. The place, the maze, the routine settling in, the pressure of not making it back in time, the fear of ending up face to face with a griever, the frustration of never finding anything, the silence driving me slowly crazy, and-" He stopped himself. "Yeah, all of that. Everything."

"No, tell me what you were going to say. "And" what?" Heather insisted, not dropping the subject that easily. Newt put both his hands on his face and rubbed it, his thumbs rubbing his eyelids, as if he just said something he shouldn't gave. But he was so tired, he simply didn't think twice before speaking:

"You, Heather. You."

Taken aback, the girl opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, then she frowned and finally, she decided to wait for him to resume speaking.

"I wanna be with you, and I can't, it's killing me," he explained, confusing her.

"C'mon, what are you talking about? You can be with me all you want, I'm here right now!"

"That's not what I meant..." He sighed deeply. "You don't know it but when you came here, the first night, Nick gathered all of us and forbid anyone to lay a finger on you. You're off-limits," Newt grumbled.

All of this was giving her a headache.

"Okay, okay, stop!" She said, gesturing him to make room for her. Newt seemed confused but he did as told and shifted to the left so Heather could sit next to him. "I think I got it, now can you please not think about Nick anymore when you're with me?" She requested him and Newt nodded, still unaware of where this was going. "Listen to me." Heather cleared her voice. "You are the only thing here that prevented me from doing what you failed to do last night, okay? I hate this place and I hate what the Creators did to us, but sometimes, when I'm with you, I feel as though I could thank them. Just because I got to know you. Now, how stupid is that, ugh? But once again, you make me live through the day, you keep making me smile everyday, though I wake up the morning, wondering how the hell I'm going to survive the day. So, I know what you're going through, okay? Just please, don't act so thoughtlessly ever again. Because I'm here for you, I'll always listen and support you, I will let you shout at me, cry your pain out, cuddle your sorrow away, watch every damn sunrise you want, whatever it takes. But please, please, promise you won't attempt such a thing ever again. Suicide ain't a solution. It just prevents you from getting the chance to find one," she finished and Newt was staring so deeply at her that she wondered how the hell he didn't burn a hole right through her head with this single look.

"I'm useless Heath. It's not where we belong. What do I do?" He asked on the verge of tears.

"You keep hoping we get out of here one day. I don't know when, but we'll get out. And you are not useless, you are needed. I need you Newt. I could do without the others, I could do without the supplies, and the shelters, the Medjacks', and everything else, but I need you. And... not just like a friend," she said the last part hesitantly, blushing a bit.

"Oh god," Newt whispered, laughing slightly. "I've been postponing this conversation for so long, I don't even know what to say anymore."

"For how long exactly?" She asked, out of curiosity, thinking of all the times he's been flirting restlessly with her, and calling her 'love'.

"I don't know, I'd say about five minutes after you showed up," he confessed, shooting you a smile.

"Newt," Heather stated in all seriousness. "You really are the shuckiest shuck faced shuck there ever was, you know that?" She rolled her eyes at him, enjoying his startled face when she leaned in and kissed him. At first, Newt was so surprised that he didn't kiss back, but when he processed what was happening, his hands moved up behind her neck and he responded to the kiss, deepening it. The kiss lasted just long enough for them to want more, but they parted before anything happened, not taking their hands off of each other yet.

"And I don't care about what Nick said. It was two years ago, he probably forgot about it," she laughed.

"_How long has it been?"_

Heather's head snapped to the door to see who said that but they were still alone.

"What is it?" Newt asked, following her gaze.

"Nothing, I thought... never mind, I must have heard wrong," she said, feeling Newt's eyes on her.

"_'bout five hours. She was in pretty bad shape, give her time."_

"_We don't have time."_

Once again, Heather looked around to see where it came from, but the room was completely silent apart from her accelerating heartbeat. What was happening.

"Heather?" Newt asked. "What do you hear?"

"Talking. Someone talking, but I don't know... it sounds like they are far away," she tried to explain, looking at him. Suddenly, the room disappeared. In fright, Heather jumped off the bed.

"Do you- do you see that? Tell me you see it!" She turned to Newt, looking for help, but he simply looked more lost, obviously not seeing what was happening around them.

"Heather you're scaring me," Newt spoke up, powerless.

She didn't answer and instead looked down and screamed, falling back on the bed. The floor beneath them was not there anymore. A big black abyss surrounded them as if they had just been swallowed by darkness.

"_Heather!"_

Her body tensed up. This time is didn't sound far away. It came from behind her. Newt was looking at her, his lips parted.

"_Heather,_" he said. Bu it wasn't his voice. Heather knew Newt's voice just like she knew the sound of her heartbeat. "_Wake up, shank!_"

A throbbing pain suddenly made her bring both her hands on her temple, making it feel as though her brain was shrinking inside her skull. Short of breath and utterly panicked, Heather opened her eyes, only to see that everything had disappeared. Newt, the bed, the room. Everything. She tried to scream but not a single sound came out of her throat, she was surrounded in silence and darkness, to the point where she curled up in a ball and prayed for help.

And suddenly, a bright light blinded her and she had to cover her eyes with her hands.

She was screaming her lungs out.

Several hands were pinning her against the mattress she was laying on and she kept screaming like death itself was after her. Hot tears were tumbling down her cheeks and the only thing she could clearly distinguish was the blinding rays of the sun, high in the sky, though a few minutes ago, she would have sworn it was the middle of the night.

"Heather! Calm down! Jeff, the syringe!"

Formless shadows were surrounding her, all keeping her firmly on the bed. She recognized the voices.

"Jeff, Clint, hurry up, we can't hold her any longer!" Nick shouted, making them quicken a bit. Heather didn't understand why they couldn't hold her any more, but when she looked down, she saw her body move. It was as if she had lost control of her body, and it was convulsing on the mattress. It only made her cry harder.

"Noooo! NOOOOOO!" She eventually heard her own voice pierce her ears. "No, please don't, please _please_, don't do that!" She cried out, begging them, yet none of them seemed to notice it.

"Sorry Heath, it's for your own good..." Alby's voice said calmly next to her. With both his hands he pinned her arm against her side, keeping it straight.

"STOP! Alby, Nick! NOOOOO!" She screamed even louder if that was possible. "Newt! Where's Newt?! What happened?" Heather didn't know how she brought those words out of her sore throat but as soon as she did, everybody around her stilled. Suddenly, she felt something in her elbow. Jeff had stung her.

"What...?" She wanted to speak but her head was spinning and she could feel her muscles relax weirdly. What did they gave to her? She was growing numb, bu she had to know...

"Sorry Heath," Jeff mumbled before walking away. They all let go of her, expect for Alby.

"Newt..." she whispered, barely managing to open her mouth enough to say that. "Newt... is he?"

Alby didn't even blink when he said:

"It was already too late when you brought him back."

And that's when Heather felt the world give ay under her feet, crying herself to sleep, she begged for the medicine to work faster so she could forget what she just heard.

"Newt's dead."


End file.
